About the Rowayton, Connecticut Area 

Rowayton is the Sixth Taxing District of Norwalk, but it has a small town feel with its own post office, and library. The town also has an active civic association, historical society, yacht club, arts center and beach for residents. 

Bounded in the east by the Five Mile River, on the south by the Long Island Sound and on the west by Wilson Cove, Rowayton has always been water-oriented. No other single influence on the development of Rowayton matched that of the oyster industry, according to historian Frank E. Raymond. In fact, the town has often been called the birthplace of the oyster industry. Many of the stately homes on the east side of Rowayton Avenue were built by oystermen. The Five Mile River was filled with oystering craft. 

Today, hundreds of pleasure boats are moored in the river and across town, at the membership-owned Rowayton Yacht Club at Hickory Bluff. Rowayton today- population-nearing 4000-is a happy blend of old and new. Recreational facilities include Bayley Beach, open to all residents without charge, and the Rowayton Tennis and Paddle Association, on all district owned land. 

Three district commissioners, elected by residents, conduct business and draw up an annual budget, voted on by electors, which covers the cost of garbage collection, street lighting, fire fighting equipment of the volunteer Rowayton House Company No.1, the Rowayton Library, Community Center, Pinkney Park and the Rowayton Arts Center. The Rowayton portion of taxes, collected by the City of Norwalk, is remitted to the district. Norwalk city taxes, laws, rules and regulations apply otherwise. 

The Rowayton Elementary School and the Roton Middle School are located within the district, with the Brien McMahon High School just over the border. There are three nursery schools: The Community Cooperative Nursery School, Five Mile River Nursery School and the United Church School. The 24 apartments in Hilltop Homes provides housing for the elderly and/or handicapped. 

The Community Center houses the Rowayton Library, which serves as the community hub, as well as the purveyor of cultural knowledge.  The Community Center is also used by the Rowayton Gardeners, the Rowayton Parents Exchange, the Rowayton Power Squadron and by scouts and other civic organizations. Pinkney Park, open to all, is used by the Rowayton Arts Festival for concerts sponsored by the Rowayton Civic Association. The Civic Association also sponsors the Labor Day Swim Meet, Memorial Day Parade, youth activities and Christmas Pageant. 

The historic homes that surround the waterfront are part of the unique charm of Rowayton. It is very characteristic of the community’s families to keep family homes intact for several generations. One such home, the district-owned Seeley-Dibble-Pinkney House, dates back to 1737. The house had been in the same family since 1820 until Mrs. William Pinkney, Jr. sold the home to the Rowayton district in 1970 when her husband died. It is now the headquarters of the Historical Society. 

With the coming of the railroad in 1867, many New Yorkers came to Rowayton in the summer to enjoy the sweeping waterviews. Hotels and large homes were built to accommodate the large summertime crowds. According to Frank E. Raymond’s Rowayton on the Half Shell, the Rowayton Hotel (now known as the Winthrop House) was built in 1848 by Charles L. Raymond. It was a four-story summer hotel without heat or water, and was built on the corner of what is now Rowayton and Wilson Avenues. 

“It was the start of a Rowayton tradition that was to flourish for a hundred years,” Raymond says. Summer cottages popped up all over the village, especially around the areas of Hickory Bluff, Bell Island and Pine Point.
 

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