In 1718, 22-year old Israel Putnam moved from MA to CT to be a farmer. He ended up in the military…read moreand served with distinction during the French and Indian War, rising to the rank of captain, and then major. But his greatest glory lay ahead. When British bullets killed Massachusetts colonists at Lexington and Concord, legend has it that Putnam became so enraged that he abandoned his plow in the field, jumped on his horse, and rode 100 miles to Boston to join the Revolution. He rose to the rank of Major General and led his troops in the Battle of Bunker Hill (where legend also has it that he uttered the immortal words "Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes") and the Battle of Long Island. This fabulous monument has an 8 foot tall bronze statue of General Israel Putnam on his horse. The statue is mounted on s 20-foot tall granite base. It was dedicated on June 14, 1888 and it marks Putnam's grave. Check out the detail of Putnam's Revolutionary War uniform. You'll see boots, a tri-cornered hat, knee britches, and a coat with fancy epaulets. Of course he has a sword dangling from his belt. One interesting detail I saw on the base was a wolf head. Supposedly, as a boy Putnam crawled into a wolf cave and killed a wolf! Plaques on the base are inscribed as follows: Sacred be this Monument to the memory of ISRAEL PUTNAM, Esq. Senior Major General in the Armies of the United States of America, who was born in Salem, in the Province of Massachusetts on the 7th day of January, A.S. 1718 and died on the 29th of May A.D. 1790 Passenger, if thou art a soldier, drop a tear over the dust of a Hero, who ever attentive to the lives and happiness of his men dared to lead where any dared to follow. If a Patriot, remember the distinguished and gallant services rendered thy country by the Patriot who sleeps beneath this marble; if thou art honest, generous and worthy, render a cheerful tribute of respect to a man whose generosity was singular, whose honesty was proverbial; who raised himself to universal esteem and offices of eminent distinction by personal worth and a useful life.

Fun Canterbury Facts:…read more The city of Cleveland, Ohio was named after a guy that was born in Canterbury. This area's history mentions a town with the epic name of "Peagscomsuck". Canterbury is the home town of Connecticut's official State Heroine - Prudence Crandall This two-sided marker from the CT Historical Commission has the familiar white lettering on a blue background. It's located on the property of the First Congregational Church near the corner of South Canterbury Road and Westminster Road. The marker is in fair condition with fading, peeling and streaking on both sides. The reverse side is in an accelerated state of failure.. The full inscription reads: Originally part of Plainfield, the town was incorporated in October 1703. The town area includes the original Quinebaug Plantation of Mayor James Fitch, son of the Reverend James Fitch of Saybrook Fort, a first settler of Norwich in 1659. Major Fitch became in 1697 the first Puritan settler at Peagscomsuck, that portion of the colony of Connecticut comprising the most fertile, stone-free area in the Quinebaug Valley. It was claimed and held by the Narragansett Indians until King Phillip's War in 1675. In the nearby village of Packer is the site of a trading post established by Roger Williams, of Providence Plantations, soon after the Pequot War in 1637. This area subsequently became a settlement for Rhode Island planters. (side 2) General Moses Cleaveland, lawyer, veteran of the Revolutionary War and founder of the city of Cleveland, Ohio, in the Western Reserve, was born in Canterbury on January 29, 1754 and died here November 16, 1809. In 1831 Miss Prudence Crandall of South Canterbury, Quaker school teacher, opened a boarding school for young ladies here at Canterbury Green, in the house built by Elisha Paine in 1792. Because she accepted a black girl as a day student she became a victim of the prejudice, bigotry and snobbery of puritan intolerance which prevailed on Canterbury Green at the time. With the courage of her convictions she established the first school for black girls in the State of Connecticut in April, 1833. (marker dedicated in 1976)

An Indian Chief with the outstanding name of "Allumps" sold the site of present day Plainfield to…read moretwo brothers in 1653. The marker describes Allumps as a "renegade chief". I wonder if his possibly less than eloquent name made him somewhat antisocial and perhaps paved the way for his renagedeness? Anyway, the text of this marker isn't exactly riveting. It touches on local geography, schools, churches, industry, and economy. I've seen a lot of similar markers that deliver a lot more oomph or interesting nuggets. This two-sided marker from the CT Historical Commission has the familiar white lettering on a blue background. It's located on the front lawn of the First Congregational Church on Norwich Road. The marker is in pretty good condition -the front side is in very good shape with some fading and streaking on the reverse side..

His exploits remind me of a comic book super hero…read more In childhood he crawled into a wolf den to kill a wolf. He was minutes away from being burned at the stake by Indians. He was farming at his CT home when he heard of the killings at Lexington and Concord. So what did he do? He abandoned his plow, jumped on his horse, and rode 100 miles in 18 hours to join the revolution. This monument in the form of boulder and bronze plaque commemorates the patriotic life of General Israel Putnam and is located in the center of Brooklyn, CT. It was dedicated on the 200th anniversary of his birth, close to where he operated a tavern with his wife. the plaque's inscription tells his glorious story, his rise to command colonial forces at the Battle of Bunker Hill, and his subsequent promotion to become George Washington's second in command. The full inscription reads: In the field behind this stone after the close of the French and Indian wars, returning from many expeditions to ticonderoga, fort edward, quebec, montreal, havana, detroit, and new orleans lived col. israel putnam here, with his wife (2nd) mrs. deborah (avery gardiner) putnam he dispensed a famous hospitality at the general wolfe tavern near this spot, also, april 20, 1775, putnam received news of the battle of lexington. leaving his plow in the furrow with his son daniel, he rode one hundred miles in eighteen hours, reaching cambridge the next day. there soon after he planned and on june 17, 1775, commanded at the battle of bunker hill receiving thereafter from the continental congress by the hand of washington the first commission of major general (and the only one unanimously voted) which made him second in rank to his chief ----- placed by the town of brooklyn and the colonel daniel putnam association inc. 1918 the 200th anniversary of his birth ----- patriot, remember the heritages received from your forefathers and predecessors, protect and perpetuate them for future generations of your countrymen. The plaque has become difficult to read because of the copper patina over time. Maybe a restoration should be in order for the 300th anniversary of his birth in 2018?

Dr. Sterling: "If you name your town after me, I'll build you a library"…read more Town: "Sounds like a great deal, we accept" (Fast Forward) He never built the library, but amazingly the settlement still named it's town "Sterling". That's one pretty interesting nugget I took away from this marker. Another was the word "pyroligneous" which I had to look up to see it means - it's some sort of a liquid released when wood is heated and its used as an anti-microbial or sterilizing agent. This two-sided marker from the CT Historical Commission has the familiar white lettering on a blue background. It's located on the front lawn of the Sterling Municipal building and was dedicated in 1980. The marker is in pretty good condition with the start of minor chipping on the reverse side. The full inscription reads: Originally part of the long narrow area called Voluntown, this northern section separated and obtained town privileges form the Connecticut General Assembly on the second Thursday of May 1794. The name given was that of a temporary resident, Dr John Sterling, who had promised the Town a library in return for the honor. Dr Sterling failed to make good his promise, but a library was obtained by soliciting private donations. The first town meeting was held on June 9, 1794 at the home of Robert Dixon on Sterling Hill. The first post office was established as Sterling on October 1, 1809, the name later being changed to Sterling Hill. The American Manufacturing Company, also known as Potter's Factory, was the first cotton mill in Sterling. It was situated on Quandock River about the year 1800, followed by the sterling Manufacturing Company on the Moosup River in 1808. Side Two Local industrialist William Pike pioneered in using chlorine as a bleaching agent for cloth and also established for the use of the dyer distilleries or sapworks that would extract the first pyroligneous acid made in this country. His son James discovered a process of coloring with a fast black that was superior to any then in use. With the advent of the first railroad in 1854, which connected Providence with Hartford, this made the distribution of materials much easier than before and contributed to the economic base of Sterling. Oneco, as it is known today, was named after Owaneco, son of the Mohegan Indian sachem Uncas, who had claimed ownership of large tracts of eastern Connecticut land in early colonial days. About the year 1820 Henry Sabin build a cotton factory here and named the village Sabinville. Smith and Williams began quarrying granite in this vicinity in the 1850's, an industry that is still active Erected by the Town of Sterling, the Sterling Historical Society and the Connecticut Historical Commission 1980

Some things I learned from this marker:…read more In its early days, Chaplin manufactured hats, shoes, and shingles. By 1850, Chaplin's population still hadn't reached 800. Being so small, they couldn't compete with nearby competitive businesses which became accessible when the railroad came through town. Today, Chaplin is still a primarily agriculture and residential community. This is a one-sided marker from the CT Historical Commission in the familiar white lettering on a blue background. It's located on a strip of grass in the town offices complex. The marker was dedicated in 1982 and is in fair condition with noticeable signs of fading and staining.

The land that became Windham was gifted to local settlers in an Indian Chief's will way back in…read more1675, and the town's name was based on Wynmondham, England the original home of some of those settlers. Windham greatly supported the "Patriot cause" and repudiated British policies when their Sons of Liberty was formed. This is a two-sided marker from the CT Historical Commission with the familiar white lettering on a blue background. You'll see it on a small Town Green in front of the Windham Library, more or less where Routes 203 and 14 meet. The sign dates to 1976 and is starting to show minor signs of wear with small areas of peeling on both sides.

Voluntown is so old that it was settled by veterans that had volunteered to fight in the…read moreNarragansett Indian War. Ever heard of it? Nope, me neither. It was fought in the 1670's!! In their honor, the settlement was officially named Voluntown in 1708. It built its first schoolhouse in 1737 and a textile industry was in full swing by the early 1800s. Dedicated in 1977, this is a two-sided marker from the CT Historical Commission in the familiar white lettering on a blue background. It's located on the eastbound side of Route 138. It's a two-sided marker with different text on both sides. The marker's condition is average- with most of the signs in pretty good shape with small areas of peeling and the onsets of deterioration.

It's 126 years old…read more It has a cannon. It has a 6 foot tall statue on a 24 foot tall base. It has 162 names inscribed on it. In front of the post office in Brooklyn, CT you'll find the very impressive Soldiers and Sailors Monument that honors the town's citizens that served in the Civil War. It was dedicated way back in 1888. The statue on top of the granite base is made out of bronze and it depicts a uniformed Union soldier. He is holding his rifle by its barrel. Check out his uniform - a cape, a long overcoat, and a cap. He has a bayonet hanging from his belt, and he is sporting one very impressive mustache. There all sorts of inscriptions on the base, such as the seal of the State of Connecticut, a sculpted panels of an anchor and crossed canons, and the names of Civil War battles (ANTIETAM, GETTYSBURG, COLD HARBOR, NEW BERN, WINCHESTER, DREWRY'S BLUFF, PETERSBURG, CEDAR CREEK). Then there the names of the soldiers - a plaque with four neat columns of 162 names. Imagine that, 162 Civil War soldiers from this tiny little town. The main inscription reads: ERECTED TO THE MEMORY OF ALL THE BRAVE MEN OF BROOKLYN WHO FOUGHT ON LAND OR SEA FOR THE PRESERVATION OF THE UNION Another inscription reads: PRESENTED TO THE TOWN OF BROOKLYN BY THOMAS S. MARLOR

Here are some cool Killingly historical nuggets I learned from this marker…read more 1-Mary Kies lived here- she was the first female to receive a US Patent for her process of weaving straw with thread and silk, a big help for the hat industry. 2- Charles Tiffany was born here; he later founded a pretty famous jewelry company. 3- In the 1930's, Killingly was "the curtain capital of the world". 4- Killingly was settled in 1700 and was Connecticut's 42nd town This is a 2-sided marker from the CT Historical Commission in the familiar white lettering on a blue background. Its installed on a black metal pipe-like base, a system I don't remember seeing too often. It is located on a brick walkway near the corner of Academy Street and Main Street. The marker was dedicated in 1978 and is in pretty good condition, save for some peeling on the top of the rear side