town (township), New London county, southeastern Connecticut, U.S., on Long Island Sound and the Rhode Island state line. The town includes Stonington borough (incorporated 1801) and the villages of Mystic and Pawcatuck. Settled in 1649 by colonists from Plymouth, it was given its present name in 1666. Stonington developed prosperous shipbuilding and whaling industries; it also suffered naval attacks by the British in 1775 during the American Revolution and again in 1814 during the War of 1812 (1812, War of). It is now a centre of fishing and resort activities, with some light manufacturing. The borough has many 18th- and 19th-century houses and is the site of the Old Lighthouse Museum. Area 39 square miles (100 square km). Pop. (1990) 16,919; (2000) 17,906.