I guess when you have a list of data, one thing has to be first and one thing has to be last. A…read morecool fact about Union is that it was the last town settled east of the Connecticut River, they can thank their rocky terrain and crummy soil for that. This two-sided marker from the CT Historical Commission, with the familiar white lettering on a blue background, is located just on the side of Route 190 (Buckley Highway) adjacent to a small town green. The inscription is the same on both sides. The marker dates to 1978 and is in very good condition. One amazing fact I learned was that when the marker was set in 1978, the town's population was just 500 -the same population it had in 1756. What's today's population? The Town of Union's website reports "the census of 2000 showed the population of Union at 694". The markers full inscription reads: This was the last town to be settled east of the Connecticut River, because of it's rough terrain and poor soil. In 1633 John Oldham, an adventurer from Massachusetts, obtained from the Indians here specimens of black lead or graphite. During the Revolutionary War this valuable resource was tapped by Governor. Trumbull for use at cannon foundries. Union, containing 12.500 acres, was sold by the General Assembly on July 1. 1720 to twelve proprietors for £307. The earliest actual settler, James McNall, came here in 1727. The first Connecticut census in 1756 showed the population of Union at five hundred, approximately the same as today. Lumbering was a leading industry during the 19th century. Shoes and axe handles were also made here. The only surviving industries are agriculture, forestry and the manufacture of charcoal. Union is now mainly a residential community.

The Roseland Cottage is truly a beautiful historical gem in CT! I recently took a tour of the house…read moreand it was super interesting. Though the grounds are always open to visitors, guided tours of the house are only available June through mid-October, Thursday-Sunday from 11AM-3PM, every hour on the hour. Timed tickets can be purchased online in advance (and this is recommended). Adult admission is $20. Once I arrived, I was greeted by staff who were very friendly. The tour guide, MaryLou, took me through the house and explained the history of Henry Bowen (the original resident of the house) and his family. She was extremely knowledgeable and it was very interesting! The tour was supposed to last around an hour, but she went for about an hour and 15 minutes. After the tour you are free to roam the grounds and take photos, and there's also a small gift shop. Non-flash photography is allowed inside the house, but no video. Overall I found this to be a really beautiful historical spot in Woodstock, CT and would definitely recommend taking a tour!

My husband and I had our wedding here, the place was absolutely beautiful and that is the only…read morething that made the venue worth it. Laurie the women who handles Roseland cottage, on the other hand ended up being a bit difficult as our wedding got closer and closer. Sadly on the rehearsal day and wedding day she was rude and did things that we did not agree upon or said she wasn't going to do. She made herself seem understanding up until those days. She gave me sass remarks and honestly made the rehearsal day and wedding day more stressful. The only thing that made it worth it, like I said, was the beautiful venue. But Laurie in the end did make things feel way more stressful and difficult. Our catering was wonderful though, I could not have asked to better catering. They handled Laurie and everything else with class. Thank you renees Bistro.

Awesome Clam Strips made to order hot fresh tender crispy craggly coating. Good quality tat tar…read moresauce on the side. The Chicken tenders are made fresh not frozen and awesome Hand Cut Fries are sweet and delicious! Well done! Probably best clam strips around . Must try. Highly recommend! Next time will take photos to share

An honest review......Let me start with the positive…read more It's a beautiful place. It's well cared for. Beautifully manicured. Nice plantings and nice things to see. They even have a nice area for kids to play and a little raised up covered deck for live music. A tiny Antiques shop in it's own out building. They had two porta potties that were also clean which was nice. They had picnic tables and little bistro tables set up throughout. Nice plantings and a large boulder painted like a frog. The service was friendly. They were busy. The area was well kept. They had a station for trash and recycling and it was organized. Our order was easily placed through square and my recipt was texted to me. All that was great! Now for the not so great.... Our food. It was flavorless. For four of us: * Bowl of New England clam chowder.... It was very watery. No creaminess and the flavor was meh... boring. There was hardly any clams or potatoes. I ate only half of it and tossed the rest. * onion rings, out of all the items we ordered we liked these the best. They were crispy. And has some flavor. * 3 clam fritters- we're not sure what the batter was, if I were to completely guess, wheat based batter, it was brown inside and out. Doughy inside, crispy on the outside but no flavor, hardly any clams in them. They did LOOK big and nice though. But still, no flavor. We didn't finish them. * mushroom and Swiss burger with fries. Their attempt at home made fries was a nice touch but the fries were soggy. Not crispy. The burger had no flavor but it was juicy. The standard roll was ok. * 1 kids meal burger (with fries) my son only ate the meat and tomato and was also not impressed with the soggy fries. * Texas toast grilled cheese sandwich, the main complaint was there was no flavor. We ordered 1 water and 3 sodas. Our bill was almost $70.00 We did not order icecream like we had originally planned. We went elsewhere. The reason being they only serve icecream in soft serve. And also considering we were not too thrilled with our food. Over all, great atmosphere! It is a nice family place. But the food needs improvement in our opinions. For Atmosphere we give 5 stars For food we give 2 stars. We believe in supporting small businesses. And we give credit where it is due. And give our best honest reviews. We hope that frog rock takes our review as kind criticism. We can clearly see they love their business. But we were not impressed with the food.

Recently discovered this great walking path. Have only seen it in the winter months but am sure…read morespring and summer are even better. This path offers different terrain and scenery throughout the walk. As well as good incline. The water is a beautiful highlight and getting to the top of the dam overlooking the water is so satisfying and almost moving. Normally I start from the field and make the loop. Picnic areas here will be a must in the warmer months.

This place is awesome! It's so perfectly shaded, graded and in a great location for anyone who…read morewants a quick or long walk with natural beauty right on the side of the trail. Don't delay, walk today. There are places to have a picnic and many bike trails and a field for flying a kite, sitting in the sun or playing ball. Kayaks are permitted in the Quinebaug River as well. Great choice for a day!

This monument, Lives Well Lived, is dedicated to Judy-Arin (Peck) Krupp and Joe Capillo. Both seem…read moreto have passed away in the 1990s in the Sturbridge area. The monument is surrounded by a half circle of benches and trees, and a path around the back side enough for a car to park or use as a turn around. It's very peaceful despite being close to I84, and is a good spot for breaking from biking or driving. The ground design was done by Bob MacDonald and Henry Maramo, and the bronze sculptor was Steven Thompson. Construction was done by Grand Trunk Trail Blazers, Inc. There looks like there may have been another plaque on the main monument at one time.

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

As a lover of history, there are some interesting facts on this marker about Ashford's ties to the…read moreRevolutionary War and the Civil War. But what distinguishes this marker from so many of the other CT Historical Commission markers I've seen is its poor condition and evidence of vandalism. Some genius or PH.D. candidate decided it would benefit society to scratch the letters "T" and "R" in front of the name "Ashford". "Hey guys-- look what I spelled!!" If that wasn't bad enough- check out the deplorable condition of the marker's support posts, the crumbling concrete is falling out of the posts and the rusty steel rebar is exposed. It looks disgusting. This is a two-sided marker from the CT Historical Commission in the familiar white lettering on a blue background. It has different inscriptions on each side. It's located on a small green across from the Ashford Academy. The sign itself is in good condition, but those support posts don't bode very well for the future of the marker. It was dedicated in 1980 and the full inscription reads: SIDE 1: This area, part of the Wabbaquasset Indian country, was deeded to Captain James Fitch of Norwich in 1684 by Owaneco, sachem of the Mohegans. An earlier one, having failed to act, a new committee was formed by the General Assembly in May, 1710 to lay out the township. In October, 1714 further town privileges were granted and liberty to settle a minister and erect a meetinghouse. William Ward and John Perry were chosen as selectmen at the first town meeting, held early in 1715. The green was the center of town before the separation of Eastford in 1847. The First of Ashford, Congregational, organized November 26, 1718 with James Hale as minister, stood on this common. It was twice destroyed by fire and a third time by the 1938 hurricane. The Babcock Burial Ground, where many of the original settlers are buried, lies in the northwest corner of the green beyond the Ashford Academy, erected early in the 1800's. SIDE 2: While the school was being built in 1825, the Academy Association added an upper story for advanced students. Among the important persons who received their early education here was General Edward Whitaker, awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for gallantry during the Civil War. Under a flag of truce he received assurance that General Lee would surrender unconditionally at Appomattox in 1865. Ashford was the birthplace of Colonel Thomas Knowlton, commander of the Knowlton Rangers in the Revolutionary War. He marched to Lexington with seventy-eight of Ashford's men. Only eight Connecticut towns furnished more. Knowlton, as second in command of Connecticut forces, defended the rail fence at Bunker Hill. He was killed in the Battle of Harlem Heights. Early in the 19th century Ashford had a number of grain and saw mills, several tanneries, a cotton mill, and a glass factory. The railroads, however, bypassed this area, and Ashford now is agricultural in economy and a residence for many commuters to other towns.

"For of all sad words of tongue or pen, The saddest are…read morethese: "It might have been!" (Maud Miller by John Greenleaf Whittier) While not necessarily sad, this is the only marker I have seen that commemorates something that "might have been". It summarizes the early settlement and history of Woodstock, including the questionable statement that Thomas Hooker's party "might" have passed through the area in 1636 on their way to settling Hartford. The marker talks about peaceful encounters with the local Indians, and how the Indians left when King Philip's War erupted, paving the way for 13 settlers to establish the town that became known as Woodstock. The marker is chock full of information including the names of all 13 of the first settlers. The marker is located on the Norwich Worcester Turnpike (Rt. 169), just across the street from Roseland Cottage. It's a two-sided marker from the CT Historical Commission, with the familiar white lettering on a blue background. The marker dates to 1980 and is in very good condition. The full inscription reads: Near this place, in 1636, Thomas Hooker and his party may have passed by way of the Connecticut Path, going to settle what is now Hartford. In 1674 John Eliot, Apostel to the Indians, Pastor of the First Church in Roxbury, Massachusetts Bay Colony, and Major Daniel Gookin visited a peaceful encampment of Wabbaquassets living in the vicinity of present-day Woodstock to preach from nearby Eliot Rock, and sought to establish their church among the natives of these lands. King Philip's War broke out in 1675, during which the Wabbaquassets deserted the area. The site was chosen as a place of settlement, and here on April 5, 1686, from Roxbury came Peter Aspinwall John Gore Thomas Bacon Benjamin Griggs Henry Bowen George Griggs Matthew Davis John Marcy John Frizzel Ebenezer Morris Nathaniel Gray Benjamin Sabin Jonathan Smithers known as the Thirteen Goers to found the Town of New Roxbury, the first European settlement in the area that became Windham County. (Continued from other side) Given the name "Woodstock" by Judge Samuel Sewall in 1690 "...because of its nearness to Oxford, for the sake of Queen Elizabeth..." the Town remained a part of the Massachusetts Bay Colony until 1749, when it seceded in favor of becoming a part of the Connecticut Colony. From these hills went Captain, later General, Samuel McClellan following the alarums sounded from Lexington and Concord in 1775, together with 184 men, who responded in a greater number than from any other town in the Colony. Born here were Jedediah Morse, the "father of American geography," and Henry C. Bowen, founder of the INDEPENDENT, a pre-Civil War anti-slavery newspaper; builder of Roseland Cottage; benefactor of Woodstock Academy, founded in 1801; and donor of Roseland Park. The many small rural industries of 19th century Woodstock are now represented by the making of electrical components and plastics in a community mainly agricultural and residential. Erected by the Town of Woodstock the Woodstock Historical Society and the Connecticut Historical Commission 1980