Ansonia originally was a borough of Derby, which was settled in 1651. It was not organized independently until 1845. It became a borough in 1864, a Township in 1889 and a City in 1893. Established primarily as an industrial community, its manufacturers include some of the country's largest specialty roll shops which supply the huge cane rolls used in sugar mills. Other products manufactured are machinery, brass, copper, electrical equipment, eyelets, textiles, paper boxes and roofing. The City was named after its founder, Anson G. Phelps, merchant and philanthropist. The first houses in Ansonia were those of Edward Wooster and Thomas Langdon. [2]

Architecture, Commerce, Military:Elm Street was originally called Town Road in so-called 'Up Town' Derby, to distinguish it from the Narrows and the docks which were established afterwards. Town Road was the main highway up to Woodbury. The district includes eleven houses built before 1800 that are still in existence. These structures are historically and architecturally irreplaceable. The best known of the old houses on Elm Street is the General David Humphreys House, who became famous as Aide-de-Camp to General George Washington during the Revolution and later as a diplomat and Ambassador to Spain. He also was responsible for introducing Marino sheep to this country and began the manufacture of woolens in Humphreysville, now Seymour. This comparatively small area is steeped in history, and is the place where the growth of a large and populous area really began. [2]

[1] District information retrieved from the town website http://cityofansonia.com/.
[2] Ansonia Historic District, Report of the Historic District Study Committee, 1968, SHPO Library, Hartford.
[3] Assessors information and Parcel IDs retrieved from http://www.ansoniagis.com/ and the study committee report [2].

The GIS map and the 1968 study committee district map appear to include only the driveway of the street address #17 Elm Street from Elm Street. The parcels IDs and the street addresses have been obtained from the proposed historic district map insert in study committee report , 1968 and GIS map retrieved from http://www.ansoniagis.com/, 2011.