Essex. <1> Town (2020 pop. 6,733), Middlesex co., SE Conn., in the Connecticut River Valley. Three villages are incorporated into the town: the farming community of Centerbrook, settled in the pre-revolutionary era; Essex Village, developed in the early to mid 19th centuries; and Ivoryton, a center of ivory and piano key manufacturing from 1890-1920. It is one of the only cities in the U.S. that was attacked by a foreign power; the British raided and burned much of the town, then known as Potapoug Point, in Aug. 1814 as part of the War of 1812. The town features many historic homes. <2> Uninc. city (2020 pop. 40,505), Baltimore co., NE Md., a suburb of Baltimore. Mostly residential, there is some light industry production.
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