Leaflet map of racist property covenants in Connecticut town land records, 1920s-50s
https://ontheline.github.io/otl-covenants/index-caption.html
- map.geojson -- spatial data joined with contents of table below, stored in this GitHub
- otl-covenants-table -- working copy of data in Google Sheet https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1yLGLmTzrkiaVJENkbWISFTSfH-Gm569UD-O206kPSFo/edit#gid=322703715, with backup XLSX in this GitHub repo
- table-ct-land-records-online -- working copy in Google Sheet https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1t6UFa-y7HmiulmLxydlfXevpquFRF5JZD7OsBxdq0R4/edit#gid=0 and backup CSV in this GitHub repo
- Property deed research in Connecticut towns:
- Katie Campbell: West Hartford, Summer 2010
- David K. Ware: Manchester (see “The Black and White of Greenway: Racially Restrictive Covenants in Manchester, Connecticut,” 2020, https://ssrn.com/abstract=3546228), Newington 2023, East Haddam 2024, East Hampton 2024, East Hartford 2025, Columbia 2025
- June Gold: Hamden, 2023-24; Woodbridge 2024; Cheshire 2024
- Leaflet map by Ilya Ilyakou and Jack Dougherty, which replaces the 2012 UConn MAGIC Google Map http://magic.lib.uconn.edu/otl/doclink_covenant.html
- If you know of other restrictive covenants by race or religion, anywhere in Connecticut, contact the author jack.dougherty@trincoll.edu
- online link to Bauer documents in PDF folder
- 15 Sept 1923 deed from Jacob Bauer to Leo J. Hedrick, v46 p511, Town of East Hampton CT includes an anti-Jewish restriction: “The said premises shall not be conveyed or leased to any person of the jewish race or extraction.” The “land with a bungalow” is described with these boundaries:
- Northerly by land of grantor (Bauer) 250 feet
- Easterly by highway and Lake Pocotopaug, 50 feet
- Southerly by land of the grantor (Bauer) 250 feet
- Westerly by land of the grantor (Bauer) 50 feet
- Unresolved problem: This 1923 Jacob Bauer property cannot be definitively linked to a specific land parcel on the 1927 Bauer Terrace map (or a more recent map). The best possible match might be lot #25 on the 1927 map, known today as parcels 12B and 13B on the current East Hampton GIS tax map, a vacant lot with the address 83 North Main St. But land records for the 1923 Bauer property are unclear after November 1925, so cannot definitively link Bauer ownership to 1927 lot #25.
- Our research team decided that we cannot reliably place it on our online map, but we archived it in this public repository so that anyone may read it, refer to it, and write about its existence.
- online link to 2 Perkins Road documents in PDF folder
- 29 July 1936 deed from Margaret L. Rusden Westcott to John E. Vance restricts sale or rental "to persons not American citizens" for individual property known today as 2 Perkins Road, Woodbridge CT
- Town property card mistakenly lists equivalent property as 4 Perkins Road, which does not exist in Town GIS map, and maps clearly show the current address is 2 Perkins Road.
- Our research team decided that this "American citizen" restriction currently is not covered by CT Public Act 21-173 and does not match our focus on racial restrictions. But archived it in this public repository so that anyone may read it, refer to it, and write about its existence.
see working Google Sheet https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1RtxNexc0S8gZyZVimdwM0FO-kq8xPw3HMaP2Ku5a8KI/edit#gid=0
- Bellew Terrace, 1929 deed by Terrence Shannon and Niels Wind with map 48 (Terry Rd, Wind Rd, Burnside Ave), sketched and ready to draw boundaries
- Brookfield Village, 1940 deed (WAITING FOR COPY FROM DAVE) from August Schultz to Anna Fink, Volume 120, Page 241, with map 37, for 47 lots, sketched and ready to draw boundaries
- Forest Village, 1939 deed (WAITING FOR DEED FROM DAVE) and maps 56, 75 expanded to 45 lots (Forbes St & Forest St), by Terrence Shannon and Sons, sketched and ready to draw boundaries (1940-11-22-HC reports 2 permits for Forest Village homes by T. Shannon on Hills St; 1940-09-15-HC refers to 50 lots in total)
- Knollwood Road, (even-numbered east side), 1941 deed from Richard J. Devitt to Arthur and Ruth Dinsmore for 64 Knollwood Road, with map 21 (Sunset Estates) also appears to show extent of Devitt's Knollwood property at the time. Sketched and ready to draw boundaries (BUT WAIT in case Dave finds better map); Devitt was EH GOP legislator in 1920s
- Shannon Heights, 1938 deed by Terrence Shannon with early subdivision map 50 (Forbes St lots 1-3, Olaf Benson, 4-6, then lots 7-16); 1937 ad photo shows 3 recently completed and 3 under construction (which in Google Street view appear to be 541, 537, 533 Forbes St, on east side just south of Balsam Rd); 1938 news clip says building permits for 518, 522, 547 Forbes St. NEED clearer location. ASKED Dave to locate 1938 map W, which is not online; 1940-03-17-HC says Shannon Heights nearly complete with 22 homes on 23 tracts
- Stanley Street, 1926 deed with maps 36, 132 of "Property of Estate of Charles S. Barnes," bought by MJ Desmond Construction Company, Martin J. Desmond, around 73 Stanley St. No more details found in Newspapers.com search; sketched and ready to draw boundaries
- Sunset Ridge, 1930 deed from Sunset Ridge Country Club to Jennie Higbie, for one parcel of land along Kennedy St (old name for Ridgewood Rd). "Causasian" restriction openly advertised in 1930-05-25 Courant, describing about 75 lots, but no clear map. ASKED DAVE to look for subdivision map because currently we can only estimate boundaries; 1949-05-01-HC story concludes that T. Shannon and Sons still have 18 lots to develop in Sunset Ridge area, site of the now-defunct Sunset Ridge Country Club
- Westview Drive, 1942 deed with map 73, Property of Richard J. Devitt (Ridgewood Rd, Westview Drive, Silver Lane), sketched and ready for Jack to draw boundaries, 25 plots
- Willowbrook Gardens, 1941 deed (WAITING FOR COPY FROM DAVE), Volume 124, Page 383, with map 61, sketched and ready to draw boundaries; 48 parcels on original map; some removed by CT Route 2
public records: age about 72; attorney in real estate appraisal, but no longer practicing?; formerly affiliated with Settle Meyer Law office in EH; resides at 502 Forbes St, EH; 860-568-5660 (landline?), 860-833-6538 (mobile?); see 1940-03-17-HC ad for 502 Forbes St; see current EH property card https://gis.easthartfordct.gov/PropertyCards/4513.pdf
- Sunset Estates (odd-numbered west side of Knollwood, plus Birchwood), owned by Fred Holland, 1930 map 21; WAITING for Dave to search
- Laraia Street building lots, 1924 map 28 (Laraia St at Bliss St) by Terrence Shannon & Sons
- Does the Town of East Hartford have a map showing all of its subdivisions, similar to those posted on the wall by other towns? If yes, a photo of that map would be very helpful in our search.
- I found this online East Hartford Index of Maps and Surveys, in case it helps you with the questions described below. Most of these are available online, but not all. https://www.easthartfordct.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif9241/f/uploads/townmapindex_current.pdf
- Sunset Ridge development. You already found a 1930 deed, and I found the 1930 Hartford Courant story, and I posted both in this PDF. The news story described 75 building lots in the development, but East Hartford online maps 79 and 80 are not very clear about its boundaries. If the Town has a better map of the Sunset Ridge development boundaries, please take a photo.
- Shannon Heights You already found a 1938 deed with a covenant, and I found the Town's online scan of map #50, dated 1937, and posted both of these items in this PDF. They point to the general area of Forbes St, probably near Balsam Road, but we need to be more specific. The Town's index also lists another Shannon Heights "map W", dated 1938, but there is no online image. If the Town has a copy of the map, would you please take a photo?
- Terrence Shannon & Sons: These builders inserted racial covenants in their 1929 "Bellew Terrace" subdivision and their 1938 "Shannon Heights" development, so they might have done with the same with other developments they owned in East Hartford during the same time period:
- Laraia Street building lots, 1924 map #28 (Laraia St at Bliss St)
- Forest Village subdivision, 1939 map #56 (Forest St & Forest St)
- Richard J. Devitt: We know Devitt inserted a racial covenant in his 1941 deed for 64 Knollwood Road.
- Please check other even-numbered properties on Knollwood Road (such as 16, 22, 28, 34, 40, 50 Knollwood)
- We also know Devitt inserted a racial covenant in his 1942 deed for lot #13 of the Westview Drive subdivision, map #73, which he sold to Terrence Shannon (same builders as mentioned above).
- Please check if any other Westview Drive properties have covenants.
- Sunset Estates (not to be confused with Sunset Ridge). I suspect that Sunset Estates development, created by Fred Holland beginning in 1930, might have had restrictive covenants because it is adjacent to Devitt's Knollwood Road development and news articles suggested he was considering his options.
- Please check for covenants in any Sunset Estate properties, located on the odd-numbered west side of Knollwood Road and both sides of Birchwood Road, as shown in maps #21, #130, #138
- Overview: draw in GeoJson.io, data entry in Google Sheet, join in MapShaper, republish in Datawrapper, save to GitHub
- Scan historical documents, add metadata, and upload to
pdfGitHub folder using id format - to draw new polygons, upload to geojson.io, draw and name id, then export
- to enter new data, go to data in Google Sheet; avoid empty rows at bottom for cleaner pivot table
- download data as CSV
- upload existing map.geojson to mapshaper.org
- console: -filter-fields id (to remove all fields except geospatial id)
- upload CSV and rename to 'data'
- console: -join data keys=id,id
- export with option: extension='.geojson', upload to GitHub
- save XLSX backup to https://github.com/ontheline/otl-covenants
- Republish two linked Datawrapper tables in OTL Team folder
- Racist Covenants Located To Date by Connecticut Town https://app.datawrapper.de/archive/team/Fj3ATkF7/63725#/dCnch
- Search by Street Name for CT Racist Covenants https://app.datawrapper.de/archive/team/Fj3ATkF7/63725#/j4lCy
- Live map and two tables appears on live sites: https://myCTdeed.com and (only map and main table in book) https://ontheline.trincoll.edu/restricting.html