Weston meteorite (incl Easton; Trumbull; Fairfield), Easton (Weston), Fairfield County, Connecticut, USAi

Regional Level Types
Weston meteorite (incl Easton; Trumbull; Fairfield)	Strewn Field
Easton (Weston)	- not defined -
Fairfield County	County
Connecticut	State
USA	Country

First witnessed fall in the United States, December 14, 1807.
Olivine-Bronzite Chondrite (H4; S3; W0).
Approximate recovered mass 149.7 kg; Several stones, largest 90.7 kg (fragmented)


NOTE: Most of the fragments of this meteorite were found within the boundaries of the modern town of Easton, which was the eastern part of the town of Weston until 1845, when it became a separate town. Other finds are in the towns of Trumbull and Fairfield, which were already separate towns in 1807 (King and Petruny, 2008). The locality marker is placed at the main recovery site in modern day Easton.

Witnesses saw and heard the early morning “red fire ball” along its generally north-to-south path in southern Vermont, western Massachusetts, and Connecticut. Many sonic booms were heard, though having no experience with that modern phenomenon, it was described in ways familiar at the time, as related by Brown (1989):



Benjamin Silliman and James Kingsley went to Weston on December 18 and remained for two days, interviewing witnesses, collecting specimens, and inspecting the points of impact, essentially inventing the field study of meteoritics. But right away they ran into the also newly created economic aspect of meteorites as Brown (1989) describes:



About 300 pounds of fragments were obtained by Silliman and Kingsley and they are the first catalogued objects in the Yale meteorite collection, which is the oldest in the US.

Silliman’s first description appeared in the Connecticut Herald on December 29. But where to publish the real scientific results became a controversial topic as there were few, well received American outlets for scientific findings at the time. An early release in France was enthusiastically received. Brown (1898) summarizes the eventual outcome, not always positive in America:



By 1818, Silliman had established the American Journal of Science largely to rectify this situation.

King and Petruny (2008) have identified 4 of the 6 reported impact sites found in contemporary news reports, with an unconfirmed anecdote of a 5th site. None are currently in Weston because the original town was subdivided after 1807, they now reside in Easton, Trumbull and Fairfield.

The primary site, the Prince house, now in Easton, is about 500 m north of a road intersection at the historic 1715 Burton House. Today this is a heavily wooded, upscale housing subdivision with a vigilant neighborhood watch.

Another potential site is located a few tens of meters west of Sturbridge Lane behind several homes within Trumbull, a very stony area.

A single large fragment was found at "the foot of Tashua Hill", also now in Trumbull, the exact location uncertain, with high ground now known as Tashua Knolls including a town recreation area surrounded by woods, homes, and shopping areas.

Reportedly a small crater ~1.5 m wide and ~1 m deep with soil and bedrock ejected up to ~50 m away formed on the farm of Elijah Seeley, who lived on Hoyden Hill. It may be the same place as the Hoyden Hills within Fairfield.

Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality

References