Abijah Catlin I, II, III, IV
The crossroads of Burlington, Harmony Hill, and Locust Roads are known as Catlin’s Corners after the family who developed the area and lived there for five generations. Land was granted to Abijah Catlin I, whose son Abijah Catlin II constructed a house at 1 Harmony Hill Road in 1760.
Abijah II ran a tavern and owned an adjacent store. Catlin served refreshments to Washington, the Marquis de Lafayette, and General Knox. He built a house for his son, Abijah Catlin III across the street. Like his father, Abijah Catlin III was a farmer and merchant. He also manufactured hats, which he sold in the Catlin store.
Abijah Catlin IV (1805-1891) was a lawyer, state legislator, comptroller, and probate judge.
John Henry Roraback
John Henry Roraback (1870-1937) was a lawyer who was elected to the Republican State Central Committee and the National Republican Committee. He became a member of the National GOP Executive Committee and the Calvin Coolidge re-election team. His business credentials include being the founder and president of the Connecticut Light and Power Company, a company that he led for 25 years.
John incorporated the Skinner house and farm into a massive private hunting/fishing preserve which eventually extended to over 2,000 acres of woodlands and meadows, miles of trout streams, and abandoned old town highways which was ten percent of Harwinton’s total acreage.
In 1982, John Henry’s son Lewis Roraback willed to the State of Connecticut 1,976 acres to be maintained as open space for recreational activities now known as the Roraback Wildlife Management Area.
Collis Potter Huntington
As a boy, Collis Potter Huntington grew up in the Poverty Hollow section of Harwinton, the sixth of nine children. The family was poor, and times were hard. At a young age, Collis learned to make money as a peddler and salesman.
He went on to become one of the “Big Four” of western railroading and was one of the wealthiest, most successful men in the country. Despite his success, Huntington never forgot his Connecticut roots, especially the love and care he received from his mother.
In 1968, Huntington was inducted into the Hall of Great Westerners of the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum.
