1839
The area we now call East Lyme used to be part of the Town of Lyme, which included what is now Old Lyme, Lyme, East Lyme, Salem and parts of Montville. At that time, there was no town of Waterford either. At the time New London included all of Waterford and even extended west of the Niantic River almost all the way to where Pennsylvania Avenue is today. In 1801, Waterford split from the town of New London taking part of what is now East Lyme with it.
Public Library Archives, East Lyme, Connecticut
East Lyme Petition
Public Library Archives, East Lyme, Connecticut
Then, in 1839, East Lyme also became its own town. At this point, everyone felt it would be better to move the slice of Waterford--on the Niantic side of the Niantic River--from the Town of Waterford to the Town of East Lyme. As part of this agreement, the town of East Lyme agreed to manage the difficult Niantic River crossing at Main Street, including the “rope ferry” and the bridge.
These maps diagram the sections of Waterford which were conveyed to East Lyme in 1839.