South Avenue
The first block from Elm Street to Cherry Street was laid out in 1856. In that same year it was voted to extend the road, which was finished by 1860 and called Broad Street. It ran then to the present Gerdes Road, generally known as the Road to Darien from White Oak Shade. (See under Darien Road.) After 1860 South Avenue was referred to as the "New Road" to Darien and as the "Two-mile Road." It was popular road for horseracing. After the Merritt Parkway was put through, South Avenue was extended over the Parkway to meet what was left of the western end of Darien Road. (Source: New Canaan Historical Society)
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NewCanaanite.com has partnered with the New Canaan Historical Society on a digital Street Names Database that lets readers look up the origins of local street names online.
With information drawn from a 1960 annual of the member-supported Historical Society, the searchable database is a drop-down menu that captures information on how New Canaan street names got their names, in a snapshot from that year.
The Historical Society has taken the further step of building out a completely updated list—should residents seek information that’s missing from the database (such as more modern street names) or want to review in greater detail what’s included in it—and that’s all available in the organization’s research library at 13 Oenoke Ridge Road (top of God’s Acre).
We’ve created a new category, all the way on the right on the main navigation bar on the homepage called “Bookmarks” where we’ve filed this Street Name Database, so you can find it easily next time you’re looking:
This is a fluid database: If you have any memories, photos or information to share about street name history in New Canaan, please feel free to post a comment on this article or email editor@newcanaanite.com and we’ll incorporate it into the appropriate entry.