Barry Square (Hartford, Connecticut)

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Barry Square takes its name from Father Michael Barry, whose Catholic parish built St. Augustine's Church on Campfield Avenue in 1902. Many early parishioners at St. Augustine Church were Irish who came to Hartford as laborers.

The central part of the neighborhood served as a military campground in both the Revolutionary and Civil wars, due to the open fields west of Campfield Avenue. In fact, this is how the street acquired its name.

The Wethersfield Line of the Hartford & Wethersfield Horse Railroad Company ran from the Congregational Church in Wethersfield to Spring Grove Cemetery on North Main Street in Hartford. The stable was replaced in 1903 by a brick structure that could accommodate tracks running through it. WToday, the property houses The Village for Families and Children.

The Camp Field Branch of the Hartford Public Library was built in 1928. One of its features, and one of the hidden jewels of Hartford, is a fresco mural above the entryway painted by artist Alton Tobey as part of of WPA project. The neighborhood is also home to the Old South Burying Ground, which was established when the first burying ground (now known as the Ancient Burying Ground) began to be filled to capacity. One of the neighborhoods oldest establishments is Trinity College, located on Summit Street atop what used to be known as "Gallows Hill."

A complement of residential and commercial properties, the residents of Barry Square are a multicultural mix who enjoy the community atmosphere of their neighborhood.