The Patriots of Windsor memorial is on the Village Green set just behind Broad Street…read more It's directly across from the library and is easily visible from Broad Street. The statue is a large bronze eagle with outstretched wings, set on a stone base. It bears a rather short inscription, "To The Patriots Of Windsor". It was sculpted by Evelyn Beatrice Longman and was dedicated on November 3, 1929. It's listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

There is a lot of text on this marker that stands at the south end of East End Park. It is visible…read morefrom the road that goes past but I stopped to read the marker and appreciate the monuments in this park. On the front, "In 1686 the General Court of the Connecticut Colony granted to the town of Hartford and Windsor "... lands on the north of Woodbury ... and on the west of ... Simsbury ... to make a plantation or villages theron." Later (1732) the Hartford proprietors, named in a patent of 1729, executed a deed which provided for division of the Hartford share, including the part which became Winchester. The General Assembly in May, 1786 authorized an ecclesiastical society in Winchester township. The meetinghouse was located near, and a later one on, the present Winchester Center Green. Following petition by the society, the General Assembly incorporated the Town of Winchester in May, 1771. "In 1778 the Assembly established the Ecclesiastical Society of Winsted (from Winchester and Barkhamsted townships) on Old North Road, but the opening of the Greenwoods Turnpike in 1799 from New Hartford to Sheffield brought a great volume of traffic to the valleys." And on the reverse, "Settlers along the Still River erected a second meetinghouse near the present Winsted Green. The village of Winsted became an incorporated borough in 1858, a city in 1917. Since the late 1700's the community of Winchester / Winsted has thrived on a core of industry: scythes, thread, clocks, electrical items, ball bearings, and one of the few pin factories of the 1800's in the United States. The first grist mill was built in 1771 by David Austin at the foot of Highland Lake. Benjamin Jenkins and James Boyd built one of the State's first scythe factories at Lake and Meadow Streets in 1792. The Hoadleys and Whitings founded a clock industry here in 1897, which became the Gilbert Clock Company in 1871. Ribbon candy was invented in the 1880's in a local candy store. The Gilbert School (1895) became the home of the Northwestern Connecticut Community College in 1965." "Erected by the Town of Winchester, The Winchester Historical Society And the Connecticut Historical Commission. 1979" Plenty of street parking around the park. [Review 1693 of 2024 - 97 in Connecticut - 22716 overall]

This is a 2-sided marker from the CT Historical Commission in the familiar white lettering on a…read moreblue background, It's located in the town green where Main Street (Route 44) intersects with Park Place (Route 8). The green is a busy place, with all sorts of other markers, monuments, and memorials everywhere. The marker was dedicated by the Town of Winchester, The Winchester Historical Society, and the Connecticut Historical Commission in 1979. The marker tells the history of the area now known as Winchester and Winsted (Winsted is a part of Winchester) Way back in 1686, the General Court of the Connecticut Colony gave the established towns of Hartford and Windsor additional lands to the West for settlement. It took close to 100 more years for everything to fall into place, but in 1771 the Town of Winchester was incorporated. The name "Winsted" came about as a nod to its early settlers from both Winchester and Barkhamsted, It was incorporated in 1858 and became a city in 1917. Winchester's industries over the years have included agricultural tools, thread, clocks, electrical items, ball bearings, and pins. Ever have ribbon candy as a kid? It was invented here in Winsted in the 1880's. The marker is not in terrific condition, as some of it's blue paint is starting to peel away,

This statue is located at the start of Rockwell Park, on its own island of grass. The top is a…read moregentleman (presumably a soldier) with his rifle at his side. The cross below reads, "Cuba, Porto Rico, U.S.A., Philippine Island", and inside the cross reads "Spanish War Veterans 1898-1902." There is an image of two soldiers and a woman in the center. Below that is a plaque that reads "To perpetuate the memory of the citizens of Bristol who served in the war with Spain, Philippine insurrection and China relief expedition.1898-1902. Dedicated September 14, 1929. G. A. Hadsell Camp No. 21". It's not a war you hear about often, although obviously it was a huge deal at the time. Definitely interesting to see!

One more example of the incredibly rich history that can be found in every corner of our state. The…read moreWhite Fountain is located on the Southbound side of Hopmeadow Street, pretty much across the street from Abigail's Restaurant, where Route 202/10 intersects Route 185. The Fountain honors Dr. Roderick White (1809-1887), who dedicated nearly 50 years of his life traveling around the Simsbury area by horse to practice medicine and offer healthcare advice to the community. He studied medicine at Yale, and began his medical career in Manchester and Granville before he settled in Simsbury in 1842. Dr. White passed away in 1887, and his wife Elizabeth passed away two years later. Her will stated "I desire to leave a memorial of my late husband in the community where he so long lived and practiced his profession, and for that purpose I have determined that it would be suitable and proper to erect in the village of Weatogue a memorial fountain supplied with running water." A granite base supports the granite fountain. There is a large basin with lion heads, and three round basins above. Decorations on the fountain include a portrait of Dr. and Mrs. White, a sculpture of a Healing Serpent (symbol for medical profession),an engraving of Hippocrates, and an inscription honoring Dr. White. The inscription reads: In Memory of Roderick A. White, M.D., who died Dec. 2, 1887. The beloved Physician of this town for nearly fifty years. Erected by his wife, Elizabeth Hungerford White. Defunctus adhunc ministrat I popped that phrase into a Latin to English Google Translate and came up with "Died hitherto serveth"

When I reviewed the Civil War - World War One monument that shares a home with the subject of this…read morereview in this small park, I mentioned that it was the first war monument I had seen that honored vets of a different war on each side. Well this monument is also a 2-sided creature, but it's even more of a multi-tasker than its neighbor because it honors 3 wars on its two sides ! The east side of the plaque is dedicated to Burlington's WW II and Korean War vets, while the west side is dedicated to their vets of the Viet Nam war. The inscription on the east side's central stone column reads: Dedicated To The Veterans Of Burlington Who Served In The Armed Forces And Died For Our Freedom The stone column is flanked by two plaques -the names of the WW II vets are inscribed on the left plaque, and they spill over onto the upper third of the right plaque. The balance of the right plaque is dedicated to those who fought in the Korean War. The inscription on the west side's central stone column is identical to the inscription on the east side. There is a plaque dedicated to the Viet Nam vets in the center of the monument. Unlike the east side, the flanks are unadorned. Very well done. Nice job Burlington !!

This is a two-sided historical marker on Route 10 North, on the property of the Salmon Brook…read moreHistorical Society. It was erected by the Town of Granby, the Salmon Brook Historical Society, and the Connecticut Historical Commission in 1980. The marker gives an overview of Granby's history in a very wide ranging narrative stretching from colonial times through the Viet Nam war. It has so much content on it, that it is engraved on both sides. It reads: "Side One Settled as the Salmon Brook section of Simsbury early in the 18th century, and established as a separate ecclesiastical society in 1736, Granby became a separate town in 1786. From the beginning, farming was the main endeavor of the populace: first subsistence farming, then raising fruits of the orchard, tobacco growing, and diary farming until agriculture waned in the 1950's. Industry, producing shoes, horse-drawn carriages, wool cards, and forest products, developed along streams where water tumbled over the rock ledges common to Granby terrain. On July 4, 1825, in Granby at the Connecticut-Massachusetts border, Connecticut's Governor Wolcott commenced construction of the Farmington Canal (1825-1849) by turning the first spadeful of earth. Settled by emigrants from Windsor, Granby, like Simsbury, was the 18th century frontier for the mother town against Indians and the French allies. Side Two One early citizen, Daniel Hayes, was kidnapped by local Indians and taken to Canada, whence he escaped to return home to live nearly a half century longer. Granby sons and daughters in the 20th century have gone on to become prominent attorneys, president of a major life insurance company, Chief Justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court and Librarian of the State of Connecticut. Ours sons have fought and some of them have died in each of the country's wars from the Indian conflicts of the 17th and 18th centuries to Vietnam. In the Civil War, volunteers from Granby included free blacks fighting for the freedom of their southern brothers. Many of Granby's young men were among those in the Connecticut 16th Militia Regiment who suffered and died in the infamous Confederate prison stockade at Andersonville, Georgia. Granby citizens participated in the westward movement of the 19th century, founding the town of Worthington, Ohio, now a suburb of Columbus. The plaque is in great condition, with crisp sharp white lettering on a blue background.

The Enfield Soldiers' Monument is a 6' high figure of a Union soldier. It was dedicated by the City…read moreof Enfield way back in 1885. The soldier has a mustache and holds his rifle. He stands on a huge 4-sided base that's decorated with all kinds of things; a sculpture of an eagle and shield, and the military symbols for different branches of the armed forces. Some of the symbols are an anchor for the Navy, two crossed sabers representing cavalry, crossed cannons for artillery and a bugle for infantry. There are four plaques at the base of the statue -two for the Civil War and two that were added on years later. One each for World War I and World War II. A plaque on the front reads: IN MEMORY OF THE MEN OF ENFIELD WHO ON LAND AND SEA PERILED THEIR LIVES FOR UNION AND LIBERTY, 1861-1865 ---------- ERECTED BY THE TOWN OF ENFIELD A.D. 1885. The other plaques are dedicated to those who died at the infamous Andersonville prison during the Civil War, and those lost in WWI and WWII. The respective inscriptions read: ROLL OF HONOR KILLED IN BATTLE {Ten names} DIED FROM WOUNDS {Fourteen names} DIED IN SERVICE AT ANDERSONVILLE PRISON, GA. {Fifteen names} IN MEMORY OF THOSE WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES IN THE GREAT WAR FOR WORLD-WIDE LIBERTY 1917-1919 KILLED IN ACTION {Eight names} DIED IN SERVICE {Six names, the last is a female Red Cross nurse} ERECTED BY THE TOWN OF ENFIELD 1922 World War II Plaque ROLL OF HONOR DIED IN SERVICE {Fifteen Names}

Yesterday, I saw a marker in nearby Vernon boasting that their fabric was used for the inauguration…read moresuits of two presidents. Just four miles away from Vernon, I found a marker here boasting that blankets made at this mill were used by US soldiers in two wars. The plaque was dedicated by the town of Manchester as part of its sesquicentennial anniversary in 1973. The plaque can be found on the front wall of the building, just to the right of the main entrance at 642 Hilliard Street. It notes the historical significance of a woolen mill built on this site around 1780, possibly making it the oldest woolen mill in the nation. Blankets made here were used by soldiers during two 19th century wars. The huge mill building is just a shadow of what it once was. Today it has a few tenants operating several businesses. The Hilliard Mills are listed in the Unites States list of historic places. The plaque's full inscription reads: 1823 - 1973 One of the early woolen mills in the country was established here by Aaron Buckland in 1794. In 1832 he sold it to Samuel Pitkin who made Elisha Hilliard a partner in 1832. Later in 1871, Hilliard became sole owner. Blankets were made here for soldiers of the War of 1812 and the Civil War