This is a marker from the CT Historical Commission in the familiar white lettering on a blue…read morebackground. It's located on a small grassy patch along Main Street in front of Piedmont Hall. It's a two-sided marker with the same description on both sides. A brief history of Somers is described on the plaque -its settlement in 1706, it's naming in 1734 after an English Lord, it's separation from Massachusetts and annexation by Connecticut, it's agricultural heritage of potatoes and tobacco, and it's manufacturing heritage of mills and bonnet making (!!). The marker is in pretty good condition but is starting to signs of age, with faded and peeling paint in some areas. The full inscription reads: SOMERS Named 1734 Settlement was begun here in "East Enfield" about 1706 by Nenjamin Jones, followed in 1713 by Edward Kibbe, James Pease, Timothy Roote, and John McGregory. The Town of Somers was incorporated in 1734 by the General Court of Massachusetts and named for Lord John Somers of England. In 1749 Somers separated from Massachusetts and was annexed to Connecticut. There has always been an agricultural community with potato, tobacco and dairy farms. The Four-Town Fair was organized in 1838 as a contest to see which of the ten school districts had the most oxen. "Little Sorrel", the favorite horse of Civil War General "Stonewall" Jackson, was born at the Collins Farm on Prink Street, now Springfield Road. Industries have included grist- and sawmills, and bonnet making. In 1839, the Billings Satinette Mill was established on the Scantic River. Rockwell Keeney purchased it in 1879 for a woolen mill. As the Somersville Mfg. Co., it was the main industry here until 1970. Erected by the Town of Somers, the Somers Historical Society and the Connecticut Historical Commission, 1980

The Wizard of Oz - A wonderful tale for children, it has everything a parent could wish for or does…read moreit, as a kid we never missed an opportunity to watch the original 1939 version of The Wizard of Oz, starring young Judy Garland - I was surprised to see this sculptor included so many elements including Jack Pumpkinhead, the tornado with the flying farmhouse, etc. In my opinion this is a five minute fly by, and by no means a bucket list item but it does exist. It's simply a display of art embedded in a stone clad wall at the back entrance to the public library and its well done...

At the rear entrance of the Enfield public library is a very cool 43" by 27" by 3" panel sculpture…read moreof a child sitting outside on the ground, holding a book in both hands while reading. In the field where the child sits, I saw a dozen characters from the Wizard of Oz walking on a curved brick road. I guess we are reading his/her mind and watching how reading brings imagination to life. The work was a gift from sculptor Janice Loomis to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Enfield Library. You can identify Dorothy, her dog Toto, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion in the front. In the top left corner is the Wicked Witch of the West riding a broom, the Emerald City, a hot air balloon, and a tornado. One character I didn't recognize at all (at least from the movie, since I didn't read the book) - it was someone with a pumpkin on his head wearing a scarf. I researched the gent and found out his name is "Jack Pumpkinhead" - and he was a character in some of Frank Baum's fourteen full-length Oz books.

If you're ever driving on Route 5 near the Springfield/Longmeadow line, be prepared to do a double…read moretake if you are lucky enough to spy this landmark. It has the epic name of Omiskanoagwiah, or "the Wolf People Medicine Man". It is fifteen feet of magnificent carved wooden awesomeness! It was carved from a single log by Hungarian born sculptor Peter Wolf Toth. It is just one of the sculptures in the "Trail of the Whispering Giant" series of over sixty sculptures across the US and Canada. Check out the details of the sculpture! He wears a feathered wolf headdress, he has long braided hair, and he sports an ornament on his chest. And for some reason there is a carved turtle on the sculpture too. There's a metal plaque on the stone base that reads: The Trail Of The Whispering Giants "Omiskanoagwiak" Wolf-People Medicine Man Dedicated to the: Pioneer Valley Indians Sculptor: Peter Wolf Toth Mayor Richard E. Neal Courtesy City of Springfield Park Commission Sponsor Joseph J. Deliso, Jr. November 18, 1984

Odd but interesting landmark along route 5. Just a quick detour off I91. If you like wooden…read moresculpture or native American art this might just be a spot for you to check out.

The Quarrymen was the original name of John Lennon's band before it became the Beatles…read more A quarryman is someone who works in a stone quarry. Here in Center Hill Park, you will find a bronze statue of a Quarryman; honoring East Longmeadow's 19th century heritage as a quarrying center for red sandstone. Back in the day, there were over 50 working stone quarries in the area It's quite a statue; a serious looking guy with a floppy hat and floppy mustache is wearing bib overalls and holding a massive sledge hammer. He's standing on a big slab of red sandstone. There are more blocks of sandstone all around him. A plaque near the statue reads: THE QUARRYMAN Saluting the industry of our Founding Fathers here in the East Village who quarried red and brown sandstone from over fifty quarries during the 1800's. Their work remains enshrined in noted buildings across the land. This sculpture by Gregory Stone is a gift to the Town of East Longmeadow on the Celebration of its Centennial by L. James and Janet K. McKnight Dedicated July 3, 1994

3900th Review I'm…read moresure everyone old enough to remember the events of September 11, 2001 knows exactly where they were on that tragic day in American History. This was my very first visit to any memorial dedicated to those that lost their lives on this day and I must stay it's pretty sobering. I know there are quite a number of sites around the country similar to this one, as there should be so no one is so far away from one that they could ever forget. This monument is really well done, no description of these massive beams and granite monoliths that represents the twin towers on display can do them justice, it's definitely something you need to experience...

The two pieces of mangled steel arrived on a flatbed truck, under a Fire Department escort, on…read moreThursday afternoon, Feb 10, 2011. They are 18 feet long and weigh 1,400 pounds each. They were from the North Tower. They came to Enfield through a New York Port Authority program that gave Ground Zero artifacts to any public safety or municipal agency that planned to include them in a Sept. 11 display. Over 1,400 pieces of the Twin Towers now live on as a public reminder of that terrible day. The memorial at the Weymouth Road Fire Station has the beams set in a Memorial Garden. The garden is framed by an arced low stone wall that is evenly and solidly built around the sides, but is in a planned state of distress and collapse at the front. I saw similar symbolism at a Veterans Memorial in West Hartford, where the uniformity of a wall, representing America's time-line, was violently broken during times of war. You'll also see two granite pillars representing the twin towers, a grouping of stones for United 93, a large Fire Department crest and a plaque dedicated to the firemen lost on September 11, 2001.

very cute! when I went there was kids activities and big bubbles on which made the whole experience…read more10/10. Fun place!

This sculpture garden is right in the center of Springfield Museum plaza. There were a handful of…read morecopper/metallic sculptures of many famous Dr. Seuss characters. There's also a giant book sculpture that has some famous verses from Dr Seuss engraved in it. The garden has elegant walking pavement covered by trees. It leads to entrances of four museums around the plaza. There's also an outdoor tent for people to sit in front of the garden. Overall it's a nice garden for families and kids.

Perfect day for a cemetary stroll. Very peaceful with some graves dating to the 1800s. The tower is…read morerather impressive. Would love to see it's twin in Ireland some day.

AN ABSOLUTELY MUST DO! A FREE EVENT & FREE PARKING! This is one of the Secret Hidden Gems of…read moreAmerica that most people have never heard of or been to before, If you love Castles, Towers & the Fairytale Rapunzel or the Disney movie Tangled then you'll be excited about our journey today. It's Time to jump into The TimeMobile & scour the Earth & take you to places from a different time that you won't believe still exist. We have set the dial to the 1890's in the town of Milford MA about an hour outside of Boston. We've landed at this Beautiful Irish Round Tower that conjures up images from a bygone era. The Tower looks like it has been plucked from medieval times from thousands of miles across the Pond in Ireland. IT IS BEAUTIFUL! Father Patrick Cuddihy envisioned an Irish Round Tower as the centerpiece of a new cemetery when the land was purchased in 1890 for the Catholics of Saint Mary's Parish in Milford. Travelers from all over the globe spend thousands of dollars & travel to Ireland to see The Irish Round Towers. There is one Irish Tower in particular called The Devenish round tower & is located in County Fermanagh on an island located on Lower Lough Erne Lake. The Round Irish Tower in Milford is almost an exact replica with the same look, design & height as the The Devenish Tower in Ireland. It is made out of Granite from the Milford quarry. It stands tall over the graves of thousands of Irish immigrants who were buried in the cemetery. They are laid to rest in an Irish setting that mimics the architecture & land of Ireland. You might wonder why did Fr. Cuddihy build this tower? The answer can be found in his obituary "It may be folly - yet when you and I have passed away, the Irish in America will make a pilgrimage to the Irish Round Tower at Milford." Now although it was very popular in its day this has now fallen completely under the radar. Now just about everyone has heard of the German Fairy Tale Rapunzel by the Brothers Grimm, but have no idea that a Rapunzel like Tower even exists here in America. The Milford Round Tower was the only one of its kind in the whole USA for decades & only a few Irish Towers in the whole world even exist outside of Ireland. In 2003 The Tower at Castleton Lyons Farm was built in Kentucky to be an exact replica of the round tower at the Rock of Cashel in County Tipperary Ireland. So now there are 2 Irish Round Towers in the US. The Milford one is well over a hundred years older than the one in Kentucky. It represents a unique granite architectural wonder that pays tribute to Father Cuddihy vision of an Irish Tower in America without going overseas. The 1978 East German stamps of Rapunzel look just like the Devenish Tower in Ireland & the one in Milford MA. I have posted the stamp pictures for you to see too. Just so you know the door to the Tower is locked so you can't venture to the top! In addition, behind the Irish round tower there is a small pond & benches with pine trees in the background that makes a peaceful place to pray, meditate & explore the grounds. On the other side there is a mysterious cave like structure that resembles a catacomb. Across the street there is a public park and free parking. You really wouldn't expect to see an Irish Round Tower or a Rapunzel Tower at a cemetery, but that's where it is - a True Hidden Gem. To make it really worth your trip in the area check out The Moon Tree a tree that went to the Moon & The Largest Rosary Beads in the World both in Holliston. All of these are Freebies as well. It used to be, you had to have Mega Bucks & be really Rich to have the Good Life, not anymore. The Game has changed. You've been Upgraded. Now You Can Live Like a King on a Limited Budget!

This is a one-sided marker from the CT Historical Commission in the familiar white lettering on a…read moreblue background. It's located on the front exterior wall of a stately three-story brick building that serves as the Stafford Springs Town Hall. The marker is in very good condition, and describes the apparently controversial history of the town. The full inscription reads: This is the house of the famous mineral springs where the Indians met to drink the iron and sulphur waters to make them "lively" and to which the future President John Adams came for his health in 1771. Later the elite of the Nations gathered here for pleasure. The region, originally Mohegan Indian land, was bought in a questionable transaction by Major James Fitch of Canterbury, who had acquired large tracts of eastern Connecticut land. His claim was not completely accepted by the General Assembly, which orders in 1718 that a town be laid out "...of seven mile square...eastward of Enfield". This was beginning of the legal settlement. Bog iron was discovered and furnaces were built to smelt the ore for iron castings and tools. Endowed with abundant water power, the various early mills gave way to a thriving textile industry, of which a portion has continued to the present day. Erected by the Town of Stafford The Stafford Historical Society, Inc. And the CT Historical Commission 1978

Soooo there is evidence that dinosaurs once roamed Connecticut and it's located in the town of…read moreWindsor, CT. It's not a protected archaeological site so it's very accessible to the public, although there is no formal parking lot so pay attention to how you park and respect the property. I love these roadside oddities, I find them irresistible on many fronts and seek them out in my travels. These scrapyard works of art exhibits a very creative mind. These colorful creatures are pretty amazing so if you get the chance to enjoy them if only for a few moments I highly recommend doing it...

These are literally just some metal dinosaur sculptures that are on the corner of a residential…read moreroad, and they're fantastic. They're well-made and fun to look at. There's no real parking since it's just a residential street, so you have to park off the side of the road and walk to the corner. I went in the fall and it was really nice, but a bit muddy. There's also a geocache hidden here that was fun to look for and find!

I was headed into Stafford to photograph the city marker at Town Hall, when I saw this on my right…read more I didn't know it was there, but when I saw the weathered steel beam in front of the fire station, I immediately knew what it was. This 9/11 monument consists of a 4-sided concrete base and each side of the base contains a plaque. One plaque is dedicated to the 2 Stafford residents who were members of the Flight 175 crew killed when their plane struck the South Tower on 9/11/01. One plaque is dedicated to the 343 members of the New York Fire Department killed in the line of duty on 9/11/01. One plaque is dedicated to all the victim of terrorism killed on that day in New York City, Washington, DC, and Shanksville, PA. One plaque lists the memorial committee and sponsors. The memorial was completed at 10:28 AM on September 11, 2011 when a steel beam from the 20th floor of the North Tower was secured into the base to mark the precise time of the first plane hitting that Tower ten years ago. This is the third 9/11 memorial I have seen with a steel beam from the towers. It brought back a flood of memories.