Mansfield

Mansfield, town (township), Tolland county, northeastern Connecticut, U.S. It lies just north of Willimantic city. Settled in 1686, it was originally part of Windham, known as Ponde Town. In 1702 it was incorporated as a separate town and renamed for Major Moses Mansfield, an early settler. A busy manufacturing centre noted for its production of raw silk in the first half of the 19th century and for its silk mills, Mansfield has become a residential, agricultural, and educational community. It includes the villages of Gurleyville, Merrow, Eagleville, and Storrs (site of the main campus of the University of Connecticut, founded 1881). Area 44 square miles (115 square km). Pop. (2000) 20,720; (2010) 26,543.