Downtown New London Historic District

Connecticut

In 1781 Benedict Arnold led British troops into New London and burned most of the city down.

historicalmilitaryculture

Benedict Arnold led British forces through New London in 1781, during the American Revolution, and burned much of the city to the ground. The waterfront was rebuilt afterward. Crews raised the roadway itself to make room for bigger ships and more building. That stretch is Bank Street, named because it sits on the bank of the Thames River. It was once crowded with fishing wharves and tall ships. Today it holds restaurants, cafes and boutiques, with a handful of eighteenth-century buildings still standing among them. The Shaw Mansion went up in 1753 and served as Connecticut Navy headquarters during the Revolution. A few doors along, Bukeley House dates to 1796, and its first owner had served with John Paul Jones. The New London Customhouse was built in 1833 and is the oldest customhouse in the United States still in continuous operation. Bank Street is also where the events surrounding the slave ship La Amistad played out.

This is the first of 2 parts. The rest runs about 2 minutes and is read to you as you drive past. Hear the whole piece.

What this was written from
Benedict Arnold led British forces through New London in 1781, burning much of the city to the ground during the American Revolutionary War.

Written from Wikipedia, used under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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