Wooster Square has been home to a many populations since 1638.

Extra! Extra! Read all about it! The Honorable Roger Sherman is elected first New Haven mayor, 146 years after John Davenport and his puritans sailed into New Haven harbor.

Imagine if you could, Puritans seeking religious freedom and Tyranny from a monarchy that also was the head of the Church of England.

As they sailed into Long Island sound, they encountered something unfamiliar to them. The day was sunny, a southwestern breeze. As they got within eyesight of the 24 mile long entrance, all they saw was a wall of white water.

As the sailors drew closer and after consulting with maps, they determined that wall of white water was called the "Race". This meant when the tide shifted in the sound, this 24 mile wide opening became a dicey experience to say the least.

All of a sudden, the Captain of the ship lost all control.

The ship was tossed from wave to wave. She headed sideways until they could gain control. Slowly, the waves subsided, they were able to surf the waves into the New World.

As if in an instant, the ship went from frenzy to gliding at top speed toward the harbor of it's destination. As they sailed past what is now Lighthouse Point in East Haven (but that's another story).

Roger Sherman stood on the bow in awe of the two sentinels, East and West Rocks. Roger declared that this was a Haven, a "New Haven". On the shore, the nearby Quinnipiac Native peoples were waiting anxiously to greet the newcomers.

I asked my friend, Blossom Blog mainframe AI, to tell me where they set foot.

"The Puritans landed in New Haven, Connecticut on April 24, 1638. They came on the ship Hector and landed in what is now New Haven harbor.

The Puritans purchased a large tract of coastal land from the Quinnipiac Indians. They named the settlement "New Haven".

The Puritans were looking for freedom of religion and to escape the laws of the King's Church of England and high taxes. They hoped to use the harbor to create a commercial empire and control trade within Long Island Sound.

The New Haven Colony joined the Connecticut Colony in 1664. The city of New Haven was created from the towns in the New Haven Colony."

Interestingly, the New Haven Colony had no charter or permission (from the king) to be there. However, the Colony of Connecticut was Chartered located in Hartford. Then local New Haven resident William Peck drew up what was the first "Constitution" to join the Connecticut Colony. Hence the nickname for Connecticut is the Constitution State.

The Blossom Blog mainframe says: "William Peck (1601-1694) was one of the original proprietors of New Haven in 1638, his autograph signature being affixed to the fundamental Agreement or Constitution dated June 4, 1639, for the government of the infant colony. This is said to have been one of "the first examples in history of a written constitution organizing a government and defining its powers."

Before industrialization, a quiet and bucolic area with bustling docks on nearby Water Street. As industry boomed, guns, hardware, locks, clocks, corsets and such squeezed out some of the residents.

Wooster Square welcomed all the immigrant waves. The Square was not only a refuge for Italians but the But also for free (at the time) blacks, Irish and Jewish immigrants. However, it was the Italians who still make an indelible mark on our Sweet Sakura Square. Wooster Street is famous for it's "New Haven Style" pizza and Italian food.

By the 1950's, the neighborhood had fallen into disrepair and most was scheduled to be bulldozed to make room for the interstates 91 and 95.

Fortunately for us, Congresswoman Rosa Delauro's mother was an alderwoman and stood her ground. What's left of Wooster Square stands today. The Blossom Blog International Headquarters was part of the revitalization; housing that was built to attract Wooster Squarians back to the neighborhood.

Fast forward to today, post pandemic.

Now, Wooster Square is a much sought-after place to live. Wooster Square is also a great place to work, play and of course eat!

What effects did the pandemic have on Wooster Square? It made it MORE desirable. Our famed Wooster Street is packed day and night with people seeking pizza and pasta.

So, why does it feel like I'm a stranger in a strange land? People. Lots and lots of people. Seems like everyone wants a slice of what the Huffington Post called "Heaven on Earth", Wooster Square.

And more people. Four new apartment complexes in Wooster Square alone. Dozens of new apartments downtown as people move back from the suburbs to the city.

Many who made up Wooster Square for the past 20 have moved on. Good friends by the dozens left. Sadly, many older Wooster Squarians passed at an alarming rate during covid.

For me, who's been writing on the Square for going on 12 years, it's hard not to notice the change. We went from a sleepy sakura square to being an Air BandB destination seemingly overnight.

There was a day when I would walk the park and Wooster Street and I would know just about everyone I saw.

Now?

Fuhgeddaboudit.

Oh sure, not everybody left and it may not seem like it to the N'aven newbie. Wooster Square never had any real foot traffic. Now people are walking everywhere.

When we all came up for air from the Pandemic we looked around and saw new buildings and new people!

I'm all for all our new neighbors, and welcome people who come to live work and have fun in the Greatest Small City in America!

Great new days are ahead for Wooster Square! They just may take some adjusting to for some of us "old timers"!

Start making your Wooster Square Memories today!