History:
Chelsea is located near the center of Orange County and in 1795, it was designated as the seat of the county government, thus becoming the "Shire Town", an old English term. The Court House that stands at the head of the South Common was built in 1847, on nearly the same site as the earlier court house. In 1796, a first jail was erected on nearly the same site as the present one, which was built in 1864. A Congregational Society was organized in Chelsea in 1789. In 1813, the group completed construction of their church that stands at the head of the North Common.

Education was an early priority in New England towns and Chelsea was no exception. Within ten years of settlement, the town had erected a school house in the village. In the early 1800's when the local population reached it's peak of nearly 2,000 inhabitants, the town was divided into 18 school districts and had 17 district schools. There was a Chelsea Academy, 1851-1870, and from this evolved the Chelsea High School. For the past thirty plus years, all students K-12 have been taught at the village school located near the South Common.

Chelsea has received considerable positive recognition for it's twin commons and it's fine old buildings, some dating prior to 1800. Most of the brick buildings were built in the period of 1820-1835 with the exception of the Town Hall, which was dedicated in 1894. The local Historical Society was instrumental in establishing a Chelsea Village Historical District. In late 1983, the society was notified that the local Historical District, encompassing nearly all of the central part of the village, has been officially entered into the Register of Historic Places in Washington, DC.