Connecticut’s Last Public Hanging Was a Grisly Spectacle in 1831

When you think about the dark side of Connecticut history, you probably don't immediately think of the quiet town of Brooklyn in Windham County. But nearly 200 years ago, the town hosted what is widely considered the last fully public hanging in Connecticut.

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According to Connecticut History, on August 2, 1831, Oliver Watkins was taken to the gallows after being convicted of murdering his wife, Roxana. Watkins had been accused of strangling her in 1829, and despite maintaining his innocence, a jury found him guilty and sentenced him to death.

Here's the part that is difficult to imagine today: his execution wasn't some private event with a handful of officials and witnesses. Thousands of people reportedly descended on Brooklyn to watch. Public executions were still considered a legitimate form of punishment, but they had also become something of a grim community spectacle.

According to Connecticut History, crowds at executions could include men, women and children, with spectators sometimes cheering, taunting the condemned and drinking heavily. Local businesses, particularly taverns, could benefit from the crowds. In Watkins' case, tavern owners were apparently so invested in keeping the event on schedule that they paid for additional security to make sure he didn't escape—or die by suicide before the state could execute him.

And yes, after Watkins was hanged, the crowd essentially stuck around and continued celebrating.

Thankfully, Connecticut's attitude toward public executions was beginning to change. Reformers increasingly viewed these spectacles as barbaric, while the growing prison system offered another way to punish criminals without turning an execution into public entertainment.

There was a later execution in Connecticut in 1846 that drew a large crowd, but the hanging itself took place inside an enclosed yard, keeping the public from actually seeing it. That's why Watkins' execution in Brooklyn is generally regarded as the state's last public hanging.

Hard to believe this happened in Connecticut—and even harder to imagine what downtown Brooklyn looked like that day.