Knowledge Corridor - History

History

Since their respective foundings in 1635 and 1636, Hartford and Springfield have shared a common Connecticut River heritage - both were among the original four settlements of the Connecticut Colony; however, an early legal dispute between two of the cities' Founding Fathers led the settlements to side with different colonies. In 1638, Springfield founder William Pynchon became embroiled in a legal dispute with one of the Connecticut Colony's leading citizens, Captain John Mason. Mason charged Pynchon—and the settlement of Springfield—with dominating the corn and beaver pelt trade with the Natives, to the detriment of Hartford and the Connecticut Colony. The dispute, which Pynchon and Springfield lost in 1638, led to Springfield's annexing itself to Massachusetts instead of aligning with its more geographically and ideologically compatible neighbor, Connecticut. Only within the first decade of the new millennium have Hartford and Springfield - the two great cities on the Connecticut River - started to collaborate closely, i.e. with the Knowledge Corridor Partnership.

Both Hartford and Springfield were prosperous from the early 19th century through the 1960s as cultural, technological, and industrial centers. Hartford became the center of the United States' insurance industry, while Springfield became the United States' first epicenter of precision manufacturing, producing innovations like America's first gasoline-powered car, motorcycle, and commercial radio station, among many others. Both cities were especially wealthy - at one point in the late 1800s, they were the two wealthiest cities per capita in the United States. Both cities still feature the elegant Victorian architecture built during that period - Springfield's sobriquet "The City of Homes" could just as easily apply to its southern neighbor, Hartford; however, to no other city in New England.

During the mid-20th century, both Hartford and Springfield experienced a loss of manufacturing during economic restructuring. The growth of the highway system—particularly Interstate 91—engendered white flight to the suburbs, where currently, a disproportionate amount of both cities' wealthy citizens live, (e.g. in Longmeadow, Massachusetts and West Hartford, Connecticut). During the 1960s and 1970s, when the Connecticut River was considered to be polluted and to have seen its best days long ago, Hartford - and later Springfield, in effort to keep pace with Hartford - opted to build Interstate 91 on their riverfronts - slicing through riverfront neighborhoods and effectively amputating both cities from their greatest potential economic and recreational asset. During this period, Hartford, which had, historically, always been slightly more populous than Springfield, hemorrhaged residents. Springfield became more populous than Hartford in 1980, and remains more populous as of 2011.

During the first decade of 21st century, both Hartford's and Springfield's fortunes improved considerably—especially during the latter portion of the decade, while much of the United States weathered the Great Recession. Both cities have seen an increase in public and private investment, and a general increase in culture, vitality, and civic pride. The Knowledge Corridor high speed intercity rail line is one such project, intended to unite the region and ease residents' dependence on Interstate 91. Also, both cities are pursuing different strategies to reconnect with the Connecticut River for economic and recreational opportunities.