History Lesson: The disappearance of a Wilton hamlet: Gurn
Springs Published Feb. 9, 2013 WILTON — Gurn Springs had been a
hamlet of the town for more than 200 years. The town confirmed
this in its 21st Century Plan. A hamlet is a community that
encourages walking to all the necessary destinations, such as
grocery stores, restaurants, church, schools and recreation. The
Emerson Tavern, on the corner of Ballard, North and Traver
roads, was not only the first government meetinghouse of the
town in 1818, but home to some of the first settlers.
Broadstreet Emerson came to this area from Connecticut in 1790.
The tavern that bore his name was built on the stagecoach route
from Schuylerville to Corinth. The area was then known as
Emerson’s Corners and later as Kent. Local history claims a
famous visitor was Napoleon, when he made a tour of the new
country after the Revolutionary War. His room was always “off-
limits” to the family out of respect for the war hero. Lyndes,
the eldest of three children, was born in 1900