Book excerpt: At one time, most of New Fairfield consisted of rich farmland providing milk, corn, hay, and tobacco to the town and neighboring markets. Many residents made their living in several sawmills, a lightning rod factory, or a carriage maker's barn, and visitors came to the quiet town to rent cottages on the shores of Ball Pond for the summer. Today the town includes beautiful Squantz Pond State Park and boasts the most shoreline frontage of all the towns surrounding Connecticut's largest manmade lake, Lake Candlewood. New Fairfield tells the story of a town rich with history. Drawn from various resources, including town archives and personal collections, these vintage photographs depict life in an earlier time in this charming New England town.