Much of the area now comprising the Ronan-Edgehill neighborhood was part of "Sachem's Wood," the estate of poet and real estate developer James Abraham Hillhouse (1789-1841). Hillhouse inherited the property from his father, civic and political leader and entrepreneur, James Hillhouse (1754-1832).

The Hillhouse property originally stretched from Grove Street to the Hamden line between Prospect and Orange Streets. By James Abraham's time, the property north of Highland Street had been sold to the Whitney family. Hillhouse commissioned Ithiel Towne to design an elegant Greek Revival mansion, which was built at the summit of Science Hill (where the Klein Tower now stands). In the 1820s, he began developing Hillhouse Avenue, as a model urban community which aspired to reconcile the civic ideals of New England's elite with the energetic realities of Jacksonian democracy. His poem, which concerns his decision of change the name of his estate from "Highwood" to "Sachem's Wood" expresses these concerns.

For the full text of the poem, click this link!