This historic landmark still stands after all these years. Currently, one of the buildings is a…read moreretail building called Antiques on the Farmington. It's strategically placed on the Farmington River so that dams could be built to create a power source. Eventually, the railroad was built near it so goods could be sent out to be sold. The large bridge nearby was part of the railroad and is now a beautiful walking path for residents near and far. Collinsville became a village because of this famous axe company. The Collins Company opened in 1826 and was known to create the first ready to use axes in America. They also produced and sold machetes and other tools. The building that the axe company was in used to be a gristmill. The company started off with only 8 men and once it got popular, they employed workers from all over the state and nearby states. Housing was built for these workers and their families as well as other town/village necessities; those buildings were a church, bank, shops, etc. As the company expanded, they sold machetes and other tools all over the world. Unfortunately, nothing lasts forever. The Collins brothers died and eventually the floods of 1955 destroyed the railroad, which halted their sales. Due to competition, the deaths of the owners, a natural disaster, the company closed in 1966. It was a good 140 year run though; the Collins left their legacy and we can surely feel their spirit by just walking around downtown and in the old axe factory. The remnants of this factory still stands strong. I really enjoyed walking on the path and looking at the building. There's so much history and definitely some ghostly feels.

As you head up Route 159 in Windsor, you see signs for it's "Historic District". Rightfully so,…read morebecause Windsor was the first English settlement in the state (1634) and is one of the oldest towns in America. I was walking around the Palisado Green today checking out the historical monuments, when I noticed that I was standing on two small engraved stones. One read "Time Capsule to be opened in the year 2076". The other one read "1999 Senior Time Capsule Open 9-26-33" I haven't been able to find out anything at all about these....

This State of CT historical marker is located in front of Town Hall on Broad Street. It was…read moreerected by the Town of Windsor, the Windsor Historic District Commission, and the Connecticut Historical Commission in 1971, It's a 2-sided marker that honors WIndsor as the first permanent English settlement in Connecticut in 1633. The plaque also honors three Windsor citizens for their contributions to its development. The trio were Roger Ludlow, Oliver Ellsworth, and John M Niles. The full text of the plaque reads: Windsor The first permanent English settlement in Connecticut On September 26, 1633, a company of men under Lieutenant William Holmes arrived by ship from the Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts, on invitiation of the local Indians, and established a trading post near the junction of the Farmington and Connecticut Rivers. In 1635 these first settlers were joined by a larger group which came overland from Dorchester in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Windsor, with Hartford and Wethersfield, formed the Colony of Connecticut in 1636. In the development of the constitutional government three Windsor men have played prominent roles: Roger Ludlow principal framer of the Fundamental Orders of the Connecticut 1638, first written constitution of a self-governing people. Oliver Ellsworth one of final Committee of five which framed Constitution of the United States 1787, appointed one of first two United States Senators from Connecticut, and became Chief Justice of United States Supreme Court John M Niles led reform movement which resulted in a new more democratic constitution for Connecticut 1818. Later represented Connecticut in United States Senate and became a leader in campaign against slavery. The plaque is in average condition, with side one being in superior shape to a somewhat faded and streaked side two.

This is a two-sided historical marker on Route 10 North, on the property of the Salmon Brook…read moreHistorical Society. It was erected by the Town of Granby, the Salmon Brook Historical Society, and the Connecticut Historical Commission in 1980. The marker gives an overview of Granby's history in a very wide ranging narrative stretching from colonial times through the Viet Nam war. It has so much content on it, that it is engraved on both sides. It reads: "Side One Settled as the Salmon Brook section of Simsbury early in the 18th century, and established as a separate ecclesiastical society in 1736, Granby became a separate town in 1786. From the beginning, farming was the main endeavor of the populace: first subsistence farming, then raising fruits of the orchard, tobacco growing, and diary farming until agriculture waned in the 1950's. Industry, producing shoes, horse-drawn carriages, wool cards, and forest products, developed along streams where water tumbled over the rock ledges common to Granby terrain. On July 4, 1825, in Granby at the Connecticut-Massachusetts border, Connecticut's Governor Wolcott commenced construction of the Farmington Canal (1825-1849) by turning the first spadeful of earth. Settled by emigrants from Windsor, Granby, like Simsbury, was the 18th century frontier for the mother town against Indians and the French allies. Side Two One early citizen, Daniel Hayes, was kidnapped by local Indians and taken to Canada, whence he escaped to return home to live nearly a half century longer. Granby sons and daughters in the 20th century have gone on to become prominent attorneys, president of a major life insurance company, Chief Justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court and Librarian of the State of Connecticut. Ours sons have fought and some of them have died in each of the country's wars from the Indian conflicts of the 17th and 18th centuries to Vietnam. In the Civil War, volunteers from Granby included free blacks fighting for the freedom of their southern brothers. Many of Granby's young men were among those in the Connecticut 16th Militia Regiment who suffered and died in the infamous Confederate prison stockade at Andersonville, Georgia. Granby citizens participated in the westward movement of the 19th century, founding the town of Worthington, Ohio, now a suburb of Columbus. The plaque is in great condition, with crisp sharp white lettering on a blue background.

Town of Berlin, CT was incorporated in 1785 and has a population of approximately 20,000. It is…read morelocated in the center of Connecticut and it also has a train station; the train station serves the New Haven and Springfield line. It's a mix of residential and industrial. There is the Metacomet ridge to the west side. There is hiking at the Ragged Mountain Memorial Preserve. The term Yankee Peddler came from this town; peddlers would travel throughout and sell their tinware. Schools are good and there are many small businesses such as cafes and restaurants. My family and I enjoyed exploring the town.

While driving down busy Farmington Avenue in West Hartford Center, or trying to find a coveted…read moreparking space on a Friday night, it's difficult to imagine that West Hartford really does go way back to the 1670's. This one-sided marker from the CT Historical Commission has the familiar white lettering on a blue background. It's located on the busy corner of Main Street and Farmington Avenue in the heart of West Hartford. The marker relates the origins of West Hartford, how it was carved out of an area of Hartford and bounded by the neighboring towns of Bloomfield and Newington in the 1670's. West Hartford's first settler was believed to be Stephen Hosmer, and he built a mill on Trout Brook Drive in 1679. It was officially named as West Hartford in 1806 and was the birthplace of Noah Webster, the father of American scholarship and compiler of the first American dictionary. The marker was dedicated in 1970 and still looks great.

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!

This library is top notch in every way. It is also very enormous. One full very large floor for…read moreonly kiddos. The second floor is for teens and adults. The staff is great, and they have lots of events.

I did not expect to find the Farmington library as part of a larger town government complex. If I…read morewere a betting person, I'd blame the seventies. The outside of the building is very austere and gray. There is a fair amount of parking available, so watch out for pedestrians. The building itself is huge; there is a map in the lobby and it is helpful. The lobby has so much on its own - a used book sales area, movies, space to sit.... There used to be (if memory serves over several years) a coffee station but now holds maps for planning information. There is, off the lobby, also a whimsical duck statue. The Friends of the library do a book sale once a year. On the last day, it starts as a normal sale, and in the afternoon goes to $10 per bag you fill with books. There is a gap between those two sales, and a place to queue until the bag sale opens. You're not going to pull one over on the Friends and sneak in as the first part of the sale ends. You'll be asked to wait outside.