First Congregational Church
F foH- Of FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH » (Fifth Meeting House) * The Marvin House (see page 6) i The McCurdy House (see page 6) Hi!! !!!niFI!I!!lll lllllllllllllf illlPllllliliiilllliilllll Landmarks of OLD LYME THE BEGINNINGS OF THE TOWN LD LYME was originally part of Saybrook when the latter Owas founded in 1635. However in the years following quite a number of Saybrook settlers acquired land and established homes east of the Connecticut River; amongst them were the Lay, Noyes, Champion, Griswold, Marvin, DeWolf, Lord and Ely families. On February 13, 1665, at a ceremony known as "The Loving Parting," the friendly separation of Saybrook and Lyme took place, and Lyme became an independent "plantation"; two years later, on May 9, 1667, a decree of the General Court at Hartford authorized the change of name to that of Lyme. There is a tra dition that Lyme was named after Lyme Regis in Dorset, Eng land, based on an unconfirmed legend that the Griswolds and/or the Sills came from that town. Others believe that the fact that the Lees of Lyme came from Lyme, Cheshire, England, may have had something to do with this town being so named. Lyme originally comprised an area of 80 square miles. In 1835 the eastern section became an independent town known as East Lyme; and in 1855 the south-west portion withdrew and became legally Old Lyme. In connection with setting the boundaries of Lyme, the story runs that there was much controversy about a strip of land be tween Bride Brook and the Niantic Rive*, also claimed by New London.
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