by John Atchison

Created on: May 09, 2009   Last Updated: May 23, 2009

"The World is your Oyster!" Could there be any more fitting line to describe this wonderful seaside community known as Norwalk, Ct? The answer is no, as the rich history of this town has been tied to its proclivity to produce the best oysters this country has to offer, and hence, this is one of the reasons Norwalk, CT got the nickname "Oyster Town". The town has lived and breathed oysters, almost from the times of its humble origins. It has seen both the highs, as well as the lows that come along with being so closely associated with one product for such a long period of time. However, that product has made this fine town what it is today. So without further adieu, let us take a look at the history of Oyster Town, USA!

One has to go back into the 1800's to start to understand the development of this capital of the US oyster industry. From the time that Norwalk was purchased back in 1640 by Roger Ludlow, they played a part in American history, be it the home of the beginnings of the song "Yankee Doodle Dandy", or the place where American patriot Nathan Hale left from on his fateful spy mission during the Revolutionary War period. However, what the town did not have was an industry, something that could help the town build up from its humble beginnings into a thriving town. With a total area on 36.3 miles, which 13.5 of that is represented by water, it was not too far a stretch to think that something having to do with water might not be a bad place to start. With that, the story begins.

After the town was almost completely burned to the ground back in the late 1700's, the townspeople themselves set out to rebuild the town, and a good job they did of it. One of the industries that they decided to get into was the oyster industry. Again given their location, as well as the natural fit they also had because ship making was being done there, the people of Norwalk decided to give this industry a try. Did it work for them? As the nickname suggests, it sure did. The Oyster business became the main source of income for the town, and helped it to build back up after the devastation from the war. In fact, by 1880, Norwalk was known to have the largest fleet of steam powered oyster boats in the world. This thriving business hit its peak for the people of Norwalk between the late 1800's, and lasted until the early part of the 20th century.

It was referenced earlier that the town has seen both the highs, as well as the lows of being Oyster Town. Towards the middle

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