About Salisbury
The city of Salisbury, located in Litchfield County, is the northernmost city in the state and shares a western border with New York City and a northern border with Massachusetts. Salisbury was founded in 1741. The city's industry in its early years focused on mining. Their iron became famous for its use during the American Revolution. It later became a choice quality gunsmithing material in the early 19th-century arms industry and the source of cast iron wheels for railroad cars. In addition, iron mines were discovered, mainly on the west side of town. However, historian Diana Muir considers them "not large enough to be seen," and they were not near a river large enough to bring iron to market at a reasonable price. That ensured a high price and made Salisbury iron a well-known choice of Connecticut's early nineteenth-century gun industry. Today, Salisbury is a predominantly rural area with many well-preserved historic districts and is part of the larger Salisbury Iron District.