Oh demon alcohol, Sad memories I cannot recall,…read moreWho thought I would say, Damn it all and blow it all, Oh demon alcohol (The Kinks) Not only was Henry Daniel Cogswell a millionaire dentist, but he was a crusading teetotaler who thought that building public drinking fountains all over town would help curb the public from the evil temptations of demon alcohol. In 1883, Cogswell donated this fountain to the town of Vernon. Of course, it was topped with a statue of himself. In one hand he held a glass of water, and in the other he held the Temperance Pledge. Seemed that Cogswell was pretty serious about the evils of alcohol. Turns out there were over 30 bars in Vernon at the time, and those that supported them didn't exactly see eye to eye with Cogswell. So it was no surprise when in the middle of the night, someone took down Cogswell's statue, liberated it from its pedestal, and heaved it into Shenipsit Lake. The local constable fished it out of the lake and set it up again, only to see it disappear once more! It was missing until 1908, when it mysteriously appeared propped up against a downtown building. It was put into storage and melted down into scrap during World War II. The fountain had a stone urn in place instead of the statue for years. In 2005, a replica statue was dedicated and it was returned to its rightful spot atop the fountain for a few years. Recently, it was removed, and again replaced with an urn. The replacement statue is being repaired for rust damage, some cracks, and a missing right hand. Cogswell's message still appears to be meeting resistance over 100 years after it was first broadcast. All I can say is "I'll drink to that"!

Vernon, CT's cloth was of such high quality, that two US Presidents were inaugurated in suits made…read morefrom its textile mills! Vernon was huge in the development of industrial New England. It was a textile giant with water power and cotton spinning looms, woolen products, immigrant labor, and award winning cloths and fabrics. This is a two-sided marker from the CT Historical Commission, with the familiar white lettering on a blue background. The marker dates to 1981 and is in pretty good shape. It's located on a town green where Park Place and Elm Street meet. It does a great job of relating Vernon's impressive industrial heritage

Nice town employees in charge of providing the needs of citizens. The town hall is located in the…read moregood ol' Memorial Hall that was built in 1889. Upstairs in the middle level is however a different but interesting story. The New England Civil War Museum exists in that very level. Lots of memorabilia from the Civil War era.

This group deserves a solid five stars because of Janet.Janet is the best advocate.She has the…read moreunique gift of helping stores and manufacturers reach out and find new customers.

From the owner: Founded in 1957, the Tolland County Chamber of Commerce is a non-profit organization that promotes…read morethe economic and civic vitality of Tolland County, Connecticut which includes Andover, Bolton, Columbia, Coventry, Ellington, Hebron, Mansfield, Somers, Stafford, Tolland, Union, Vernon and Willington. Our offices are located at Lafayette Square in Vernon, Connecticut, adjacent to I-84 off of Exit 67.

I came here for their grand opening on June 10, 2023. I parked in the Valley Falls Park parking lot…read moreand made the hike up to this site. I wasn't too bad but I definitely worked up a sweat! Turns out there is a small parking lot right by the red barn! I went into the red barn and saw poster boards of the historical significance of the site. I signed in and chatted with a lady who provided a self guided walking tour pamphlet. There is no charge to visit and I believe she said the site is open on Sundays during the summer. Check tankerhoosen.info for more historical information. I then walked up to the stable which was full of people and a lady explaining more about the history of the farm. There are two displays of metal buttons and a King George penny from the 1700's that were found by my brother using his metal detector! They have a slice of a 150 year old oak tree that was located on the farm. It had to be cut down in 2020 as it was dying due to three years of gypsy moth infestation. Two local Girl Scouts labeled key dates in history on the tree rings. Next I went to the Piggery where I found a gentleman who explained how it worked. They had a separate pen to protect the sow and shoats (baby pigs). The most interesting part was the waste removal system. The pig waste was washed into a drain hole and using gravity it went underground down to the manure shed so it would be odor free! There is more to this site but I'll leave that for you to discover! Just driving by this site from Bolton Road down Valley Falls road is breathtaking especially in the fall.

This plaque is hard to read for two reasons…read more First of all, it bears really confusing language about the history of the land - it was renamed a few times, it was bought as compensation between a few parties (take your pick -Indians, General Assembly, Windsor) and somehow the land was used to resolve a border dispute between CT and MA. It's really hard to make sense of this. Second of all, the marker is not in good condition. Actually, the side facing the library is in deplorable condition and is very hard to read. The lettering on the side facing away from the library is much better, but it has chips of peeling blue paint. This is a two-sided marker from the CT Historical Commission, with the familiar white lettering on a blue background. The same inscription is on both sides. The marker dates to 1972. It's located on a town green where Main Street and Maple street converge near the Hall Memorial Library. The inscription reads: This region was named by Indian inhabitants Weaxskashuck, meaning Great Marsh. Early white settlers called it Windsor Goshen, or Great Marsh. In 1671 Town of Windsor purchased western part from the Indians, receiving eastern portion later from General Assembly to replace land taken from Windsor to settle boundary dispute between Massachusetts and Connecticut. Samuel Pinney was the first settler in 1717. Former home of the Reverend John McKinstry, 1730 is probably oldest house standing in Ellington Legislative action established parish in 1735. Part of Windsor east of Connecticut River was set off 1768, becoming East Windsor and incorporated in 1786.

This place is my go to, I go here with my girls a few times a month :) they LOVE the children's…read moresection. So many things to do, so many events and activities every month. So many options of things you can take home, from educational stuff to help with learning at home; to fun activities and books.

This is the review of the Rockville Public Library:…read more In the downtown section of good ol' Rockville, just across the street from the Rockville General Hospital is the place where the world of reading exists. Along Union St. is a place called The George Maxwell Memorial Library (known professionally as the Rockville Public Library). Housed in over 100,000+ books, periodicals, movies, & other resources, this is the place you might want to look forward into (if you haven't been there, I'm pretty sure you'll like it there). This is a reader's favorite place to read & relax! I have been coming here for many years. This institution is one of the town's most recognized landmarks in existence. Opened in 1904, it had been an independent library up until just last year. It finally became a town department (in prior years, it was operated by the endowment given in dedication to the memorial of the late George Maxwell) in July of 2018 so the town of Vernon now takes full control of this 115+ year old landmark. Now, once you walk inside the library by using the front entrance, you'll notice that they have a lot of historical, well-maintained elements from the time the doors were first opened to the public. Here, you'll see a lonely chair in the reading room (that hasn't been repurposed or recycled) that was there since 1904, along with a light fixture on the top of the ceiling. In the Adult's Department, they have a lot of selection of books, ranging from bestsellers to biographies to books on Holocaust in the dedicated section about its historical event. They don't just carry books, they also bring to you cupcake pans on loan. Then, in the Teen section, they have their room with a lot of selection of these books. Yes, they have a teen librarian who runs it! Next, you walk downstairs, and there you see a Children's room. A room that has a lot to offer for young children & tweens. There's a lot of children's books for all ages! Every time I visit this library (I go there every couple of weeks, considering it's my hometown library!), there is something new I want to get carried on in my hands. A book, a movie, or even a magazine may excite me a lot as I always use my library card to check it out. Annually, they bring in a month full of festive trees in December, a student art exhibit during early spring, etc... You might want to consider making your stop at the library the next time you head out! Just to either get a library card (and have a book checked out!) or attend a library event. Trust me, it's sincerely an awesome library, at its best. The best place in my hometown is here to help you make new discoveries, right HERE!