The Southport area of Fairfield, Connecticut (settled in 1639) has been designated as a historic district for its harbor, churches, public buildings, and the homesteads of some of the first families.

In the Eighteenth Century, Mill River village was a small hamlet (still part of Fairfield) of a few houses and a wharf at the mouth of Fairfield's Mill River. By 1831 the village had changed its name to Southport and was a bustling commercial area with warehouses, churches, schools, stores and elegant houses. Southport became a leading coastal port on Long Island Sound, its ships carrying produce and goods back and forth to New York City. A measure of its success is the fact that throughout the 1800s it possessed the only two banks in town. However, competition from steamboats and the railroad took its toll on prosperity. Resourceful shippers teamed with local farmers and businessmen to keep the port going; the Southport onion, a high quality onion was developed and grown on Fairfield's hills and shipped in Southport market boats, keeping the harbor profitable until the end of the century. Today, much of the old village area is part of an historic district, where buildings from three centuries are protected for future generations.

Information is courtesy of The Fairfield Historical Society, 636 Old Post Road, Fairfield, CT 06824