Town of Old Lyme

Facts about Old Lyme

Town/City established:

• Incorporated in 1636.

Named from:

• The lands on the each bank of the river, named after Lyme Regis in England, were formally set off from the parent colony in 1665, in a document called "The Loving Parting." The Connecticut General Court name the new plantation "Lyme" in 1667.

County:

• New London County.

Notable citizens (past and present):

• Florence Griswold; thanks to "Miss Florence," what is known today as the Florence Griswold Museum has, for more than a century, been the home of the Lyme Art Colony, America's center of Impressionism.
• Roger Tory Petersen, naturalist.
• Summer visitors include Albert Einstein, President Woodrow Wilson.
• Visiting painters include Childe Hassam, William Chadwick and Carleton Wiggns.
• David Handler, author.
• Luanne Rice, author.

Top Five Attractions:

• Florence Griswold Museum.
• Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts.
• Lyme Art Association.
• Sound View beach.
• High Hopes Therapeutic Riding.

Annual Visitor’s Events:

• Memorial Day Parade, May.
• Sound View beach July 4th Parade, July.
• Midsummer Festival, late-July.
• Light Up Old Lyme, November & December.

Quality of town/city:

• Old Lyme is famous for a flourishing artists' community, centered on the emerging "American Impressionism" movement in the early 1900s. Much of this past-and-present connection is evident in the central village on Lyme Street. Several private galleries and public buildings also celebrate this heritage, which is very much part of the life of the town and its many practicing artists today. A series of beach communities along Long Island Sound have attracted seasonal residents and visitors for a century. There are numerouse trails lace open-space area of the town and hikers and birders are welcome.