There is a sign (A wooden sign)…read more The sign tells the story of Washington D(epot) The sons of old And the wars it saw To you and me no big deal, but the sign It tells a lot! I know that's not poetry, but please enjoy my sign art. The town sign is in fairly good condition, legible, and you don't see the signs lay out certain distinguished (male) citizens. Its located on the green in front of Town Hall, in front of several parallel parking spots. There is a mailbox and voting mailbox located around the same town hall green.

Washington is a very small town in rural eastern Connecticut and it got the name from a certain…read morefamous Continental Army general who passed through here a number of times during the Revolutionary War. This marker is on the grounds of the town hall and is in decent condition. On the front it reads, "This township includes the villages of Woodville, New Preston, Marbledale, Washington, and Washington Depot. The eastern section, first settled by Joseph Hurlbut in 1734, was known as the Parish of Judea and belonged to Woodbury. The western section, first settled in 1741, was called the Parish of New Preston and belonged to New Milford. The present town was incorporated in 1779, being named in honor of General George Washington, who traveled through this area several times during his wartime journeys and breakfasted with his staff at Squire Cogswell's tavern in New Preston on Friday, May 25, 1781. For many years Washington was principally a farming community. Among early local industries were ironworks and quarries run by waterpower along the Shepaug and Aspetuck Rivers. The local economy now consists of small retail outlets and a few remaining farms. Several well-established private schools are also a vital part of the community." On the reverse, it lists several distinguished sons. Major William Cogswell. 1734-1786. In command under General Washington in retreat from Long Island during Revolutionary War. Moderator of first town meeting in Washington (1779). First Selectman. Elected eight times to represent the town in General Assembly of Connecticut. Daniel N. Brinsmade. 1751-1826. Lawyer. Member of Hartford convention ratifying Constitution of the United States (1788). Ephraim Kirby. 1757-1804. Served in American Revolution and in Connecticut Legislature. Published first fully developed volume of law reports in this country. Horace Bushnell. 1802-1876. Lawyer, noted preacher and writer. Ordained pastor of North Church of Hartford (1833). Later selected site of future University of California. Frederick W. Gunn. 1816-1881. Founder and master of The Gunnery school. [And the local library is named after him https://www.yelp.com/biz/gunn-memorial-library-washington?hrid=uWJIVSKT9yIIlScsK5JD6Q.] Gideon H. Hollister. 1817-1881. Lawyer, historian, state senator. Minister to Haiti (1868). Orville H. Platt. 1827-1905. Studied law under Gideon Hollister. Served as Secretary of the State, in State Senate, as State's Attorney. United States Senator from Connecticut (1879-1905). Author of Platt Amendment incorporated into constitution of Cuba (1901). William Hamilton Gibson. 1850-1896. Artist, naturalist, author, lecturer. Major General Benjamin D. Foulois. 1879-1967. Made first military airplane flight, Fort Sam Houston, Texas (1910). Chief of United States Army Air Corps (1931-1935). "Last of the First to Fly" (on his cemetery monument)." The marker was erected in 1982 by the Town of Washington and the Connecticut Historical Commission. The Town Hall has plenty of parking nearby and even an EV charger https://www.yelp.com/biz/juice-bar-washington?hrid=mkPtiHKxoONaAEZ_pF4UFw. [Review 18401 overall - 67 in Connecticut - 1923 of 2022.]

Things I learned from the Guilford marker:…read more 1) Guilford dates to 1639, but that's only good for seventh place on the list of oldest Connecticut towns. 2) Guilford's settlers bought the land from a Squaw named Shaumpishuh. 3) During the American Revolution, British troops landed in Guilford and burned down two houses. Located on the huge Guilford Town Green is this 2-sided marker from the CT Historical Commission, in the familiar white lettering on a blue background. It has different inscriptions on both sides. The marker was dedicated in 1980 and although the blue background and white lettering are crisp with no signs of fading or peeling, unfortunately I did see some vandalism and graffiti on both sides. The full inscription reads: Guilford This town, the seventh oldest in Connecticut, was founded in 1639 by an oppressed but optimistic band of English Puritans. Henry Whitfield, a minister in Ockley, near London, was the moving spirit behind their emigration. About forty of his friends and sympathizers formed a joint stock company to sail across the Atlantic. They were mostly young and energetic men, farmers, well-educated, and all of them persons of high standing in their community. In a deed of sale dated September 29, 1639, the Whitfield Company purchased the lands between Stony Creek and East River from the Squaw Shaumpishuh, Sachem of the local Menunkatuck Indian tribe. Whitfield's stone house at first served as a fortress and meeting place. Guilford Green was inspired by the typical 17th century English common. In the fall of 1641 the settlers purchased from the Indians land beyond East River that included most of what became East Guilford. East Guilford, now Madison, was set off as a distinct church society in 1703, North Guilford in 1720, and North Bristol (North Madison) in 1753. Two good harbors and two tidal rivers assured success to Guilford in Connecticut - New York coastwise shipping and the West India trade during the 18th century. In the American Revolution British troops landed several times and burned two houses. The famous Sachem's Head Hotel (1832-1865) and Guilford Point House (1797-1897) made this town the center of society for many years. John Beattie's granite quarries at Leete's Island employed as many as three hundred workmen and supplied stone for the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor. Famous sons of Guilford include William Leete, an early Governor of Connecticut; Fitz-Greene Halleck, one of the noted Knickerbocker Poets; and Abraham Baldwin, a signer of the United States Constitution and a Senator from Georgia. Erected by the Town of Guilford The Guilford Foundation The Guilford Keeping Society and the Connecticut Historical Commission 1980 158 CT towns done, 12 to go

Some interesting Durham history nuggets:…read more The land was bought from the "Long Swamp" Indians in 1673. One of Colonial America's earliest lending libraries was founded here in 1733. The starving troops at Valley Forge were fed by supplies carried from Durham to Pennsylvania by two oxen from Durham. Austin, Texas was named for Durham's Moses Austin. Metal toy and box factories! The wonderful Durham fair goes back to 1916. This is a two-sided marker from the CT Historical Commission in the familiar white lettering on a blue background. It has the same inscription on both sides. It's located on a green in front of Town Hall and the library, near the intersection of Main Street and Maple Avenue. The marker was dedicated in 1979 and although the paint is in excellent condition, the marker and support posts have been whacked by something (a car or a tree limb?) and you can see a very noticeable split at the bottom of the sign. That's a shame, because there is some very cool stuff highlighted on the marker.

Cool things I learned from this plaque:…read more 1. Woodbury had a Town Drummer 2. Woodbury was CT's 23rd town 3. It mentioned a "rill" - a word I didn't know, so the good folks at Wikipedia told me " a rill is a shallow channel (no more than a few tens of centimetres deep) cut into soil by the erosive action of flowing water." This is a two-sided marker from the CT Historical Commission in the familiar white lettering on a blue background, It's located at the intersection of Main Street South (US 6) and Park Road on a small green. The marker has the same inscription on both sides. One side is in very good condition, the other is starting to show some fading and peeling. The full inscription reads: In 1659 citizens of Stratford purchased from the Pegasset Indians the land, then called Pomperaug Plantation, that is now occupied by Woodbury, Southbury, Roxbury, Bethlehem and parts of Washington, Middlebury and Oxford. It was re-named Woodbury in 1673 and became the twenty-third town of Connecticut. The first congregation was gathered to a church near this marker, and townspeople were called to worship by the town drummer stationed on the rock to the east. The streams of Woodbury provided power for making cutlery and woolen cloth from colonial days through the nineteenth century, but agriculture was the town's main occupation, while forests furnished charcoal for the metal furnaces of neighboring industries. "I love the rocks and rills Thy woods and templed hills." Erected 1976 by Town of Woodbury, Woodbury American Revolution Bicentennial Committee, Connecticut Historical Commission.

I'm somewhat of a history buff. This plaque tells the story of how the town of Woodbury was…read moresettled. I'm originally from Stratford, and many of the names mentioned were familiar to me. In fact, many of the streets in town named after the initial settlers have an analog in Stratford. The plaque is in good shape, and hidden off the road. You can see it briefly as you drive along Rte 6, and you get a better view if you're traveling down Hollow Road, or stop at Woodbury Floral Designs (There's parking along Hollow Road across the street from the shop).

I guess the very busy Berlin Turnpike of today used to be an Indian path…read more Welcome to Berlin, CT!! It's the geographic center of the state, and its historic heritage includes the manufacture of tin pots and pans and pistols. For centuries it has been a popular stopping place for weary travelers. This is a two-sided marker from the CT Historical Commission, with the familiar white lettering on a blue background. The marker dates to 1982 and is in pretty good shape. It's located on a grassy hilly green with benches known as Deming Park on the corner of Kensington Road and Main Street. The full inscription reads: This land, granted to settlers in 1661 and 1668 by the General Court of Connecticut, was also purchased from the local Mattabesett Indian tribe. Founders of the community include Sergeant Richard Beckley, who came north on the trail from New Haven before 1660 and built a home in the northeast section; Jonathan Gilbert, owner of a tract of land along the Hartford-New Haven path; and Captain Richard Seymour, who led a group of families from Farmington in 1686 to begin the settlement at Christian Lane. The area was named the Great Swamp Society in 1705, when it was granted a distinct ecclesiastical unit. Portions of Farmington, Wethersfield, and Middletown were included in the reorganization of 1722, when the name became Kensington. The Worthington Society was later separated from Kensington, but in 1785 all parts were incorporated as the Town of Berlin, including Worthington, Kensington, East Berlin and New Britain. Known as the "Town at the Crossroads" Berlin is the geographic center of Connecticut. (Reverse) Here in the birthplace of the Yankee Pedlar, the Pattison brothers started the tin industry in 1740, when they began manufacturing and selling tin pots and pans. Simeon North, official pistol maker for the United States Government, developed a system of standard interchangeable parts here in his shop c. 1800. Other citizens who brought fame to Berlin include: Emma Hart Willard, educator; Robert Brandegee, artist-poet; Elisha Cheney, clock maker; James Gates Percival, poet-geologist; and General Selah Hart, regimental and brigade commander in the American Revolutionary War. The period from 1850 to 1900 saw the New Britain section grow from a farming village to a thriving industrial center after its separation from Berlin in 1850. Some factories still operated in Berlin, however, and the brick industry flourished well into the 20th century because of the excellent quality of the local clay. The Berlin area has long been a major stop on the main routes of travel, from Indian paths, to superhighways. Erected by the Town of Berlin The Berlin Historical Society And the Connecticut Historical Commission 1982

Union Park which is also known as South Green Municipal Park, is located in the City of Middletown…read moreand has a historical monument on the property. The historical monument is a Soldier's Monument that was dedicate in 1874. Per the City's website, there is electricity and it's ADA accessible since it's a special events area. There's a beautiful gazebo in the park. I didn't see a listing for this gazebo and park so I created it. The gazebo is very nice and quintessentially New England, think Gilmore Girls. When I went with my family, it was decorated with Christmas lights. There was a navy blue historical marker telling a brief history of how the City of Middletown came to be. Based on the sign, it's a very historic area with a story to tell. Overall, a nice spot to stop by if you're exploring the city like we were.

How old is Bethel? It's first settlers go way back to 1685. Almost one hundred years later, British…read moretroops passed through Bethel on their way to burn down Danbury, CT -a patriot stronghold. This was a tough marker to photograph because it sits on a small traffic island bisecting busy Main Street and Chestnut Street. I had to sprint across the street and dodge the returning commuters to grab these photos. This is a two sided marker from the CT Historical Commission in the familiar white lettering on a blue background. The marker has a different inscription on each side. Neither side is in stellar shape, as both exhibit signs of failure in the form of peeling and fading paint.

This is an incredible, unique and historic flagpole, registered as an official historic landmark!…read moreIt was first built back before there were cars so, of course, it was placed right in the middle of the road, right at the main intersection. Why not?! Imagine walking up to it or perhaps riding your horse up to it. Now, it remains and shall forever remain, right in the middle of the road! Unfortunately, there have been some accidents but the majority of Newtown citizens understood its historic significance. The majority fought to preserve it and won! It was initially erected in 1876 as part of the the centennial celebration. The original 70 ft pole was brought to Main Street by oxen. Life is good when you learn about, understand and respect history.