Seymour is a town located in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. The town is part of the Naugatuck Valley Planning Region. The population was 16,748 at the 2020 census. Seymour is bordered by the towns of Oxford and Beacon Falls to the north, Bethany and Woodbridge to the east, Ansonia and Derby to the south, and Shelton to the west.
History
Seymour was incorporated as a town in May 1850, and was named for Governor Thomas H. Seymour.
The area that now encompasses the lands of the town was originally part of the town of Derby, which in turn was a part of Milford. The downtown portion of what is now Seymour was eventually called Humphreysville, named after Revolutionary War hero David Humphreys, aide-de-camp to General George Washington. Humphreys had purchased a factory in what is the downtown portion of the town, which produced scythes and other tools as well as wool products from the sheep he had imported.
In 1836, Humphreysville was incorporated as a borough within the town of Derby by the General Assembly. Upon the creation of the town of Seymour in 1850, the borough government was dis-incorporated.
Emergency services
The Town of Seymour, CT has its own police department, 2 fire companies, and an ambulance association.
The Police Chief is John Bucherati. The Police Department currently operates out of its headquarters located at 11 Franklin Street. The department was previously located at 4 Wakeley Street (located behind the Citizens' Engine Co. 2 building and is now the headquarters of the Seymour Ambulance Association).
The Chief of the Fire Department is Michael Lombardi who is assisted by three assistant chiefs. The Department consists of two fire companies each led by one captain and two lieutenants. The Fire Marshal's is located at the Town Hall and is staffed by two full-time employees, The Fire Marshal, Timothy Willis and Deputy Fire Marshal as well as several volunteer fire inspectors.
The Citizens' Engine Company No. 2 is located on DeForest Street with its primary response area being the downtown and east side of the town. Citizens' Engine was organized in August 1884 when the town purchased a Button steam powered fire engine. The original fire company, which was organized in 1882, was later disbanded and the present fire company was organized and named in honor of the town's citizens (the company adopted the number 2 since it was the second fire company to exist in town). The current firehouse was erected in the 1880s and a few years later the hose / bell tower was struck by lightning, which severely damaged it; the tower was then dismantled and rebuilt. The current apparatus bay addition was erected in 1976. The Citizens' operate two engines, a heavy rescue, a tower-ladder and a utility truck.
The Great Hill Hose Company was organized in 1947 to help improve fire protection to Seymour's rapidly growing Great Hill and Housatonic River area. Since the Citizens' Engine Company was located "downtown" it took quite some time for the firefighters and apparatus to reach the west side area. The Company was first located on Great Hill Road near the old Grange building. Since the Great Hill area did not have the luxury of fire hydrants, the company utilized ponds and also tanker trucks that carried water. Since the 1950s the Great Hill area continued to grow with new homes and the present high school and middle school buildings. The Great Hill Hose Company operates two fire engines, a water tanker truck, a heavy rescue truck, a rescue boat and two utility vehicles.
Seymour Ambulance Association was organized in 1969 and incorporated as a non-profit entity in 1972. The command structure consists of one chief, one deputy chief, one assistant chief, one captain, one training coordinator, and two lieutenants. The current Chief is Bryan Ryan. The S.A.A. originally operated its ambulances from various locations and was quartered in the Citizens' firehouse using the easternmost portion of the building for several years. The organization is currently quartered at 4 Wakeley Street, the building formerly housing the Seymour Police Department.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which is land and , or 2.67%, is water.
Named localities within Seymour include Bungay, Cedar Ridge District, Clifton, Garden City, Great Hill, Promise Land, Skokorat, Squantuck, and Amity.