- Paugassett tribe, an indigenous hunter/gatherer people were the original settlers of the area.
- Around 1680, people began moving north from the Stratford settlement to the Long Hill section and established a farming community. This settlement was known as Coram.
- In 1717, the settlement petitioned for a separate parish. Ripton Parish was established.
- Between 1676-1740, 13 mills and 2 dams were established on the Far Mill River. These included saw, grist, paper, woolen, and fulling mills.
- In the late 1700's, the Leavenworth family moved from farming into shipbuilding. They made sloops and schooners which were used for coastal trade on the Eastern seaboard, and for trade with the West Indies.
- In 1789, Ripton Parish became the town of Huntington, named in honor of Samuel Huntington, signer of the the Declaration of Independence, and later governor of Connecticut.
- According to the 1860 census, there were 206 farms, most of which had a team of oxen and one horse, two milk cows and a couple of swine. Popular crops included rye, oats, Indian corn, hay, and Irish potatoes. Most farms also had orchards. From 570 milk cows, 67,850 pounds of butter were churned.
- From 1846 until World War I, the Huntington Fair was held annually.
- In 1863, the Ousatonic Water Company was formed. The first stone was laid for the Housatonic River dam on July 17, 1867. The dam was completed on October 4, 1869. The construction of the dam and canal made Shelton a desirable place for industry due to a cheap power supply, local labor force, the availability of a railroad depot in Derby, and proximity to New York City and other major metropolitan areas.
- By the 1870's, Shelton became the accepted name of the area along the river. Named after Edward N. Shelton, founder of the Shelton Company and of the Ousatonic Water Company. Shelton became the legal name of the borough in 1882.
- In 1888, the railroad came to Shelton.
- On January 21, 1891, the dam was washed out. It was rebuilt by November.
- By 1896, over 25 manufacturers were located along the canal producing everything from "pins to pianos."
- In 1899, the trolley line came to downtown.
- In 1911, a second track was laid on the Shelton railroad due to a heavy volume of freight being moved.
- In 1919, Shelton was officially established as a city. Huntington was incorporated within it by popular vote.
- After World War II, industry began moving down south in search for cheaper labor.
- March 1, 1975: Sponge Rubber Factory fire.
- Since the early 1980's, Shelton has developed into a combination of light industry and corporate headquaters, residential housing, open space, and farms.
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