Wonggumbaug. Now…read morehonestly, isn't that the coolest word you've read today? It's an Indian word that means "crooked pond" and that's how the natives described the area that eventually ended up as Coventry, CT. Coventry was the birthplace of Nathan Hale, one of America's first heroes of the Revolution. He was on an espionage mission for General Washington when he was captured and hung by the British in Manhattan. He was 21 years old. On a cheerier note, Coventry was also the birthplace of the Lakes Actors Colony - a community of entertainment stars from the early days of vaudeville and radio. This is a two-sided marker from the CT Historical Commission in the familiar white lettering on a blue background. Located in front of Town Hall, it has different inscriptions on each side. It dates to 1980 and is in very good shape on the front side, but is in much worse shape on the back side with big hunks of peeling blue paint.

Cruising down Route 66, you might have a WTF moment when you pass the Columbia Fire Department. It…read morewould be totally understandable if you did a triple take at the apparent sight of a huge bear standing erect on its hind legs, staring menacingly at the passing cars. Well, it IS a bear, but this one is of the carved wood variety as opposed to the warm blooded variety. The bear was a 2001 gift from a grateful town resident to mark the building of the town's new firehouse. Not too shabby a gift, was it?

There is a ton of eclectic information on both sides of this marker…read more Town land was bought from the Indians way back in 1676. The town's first nickname was the unflattering "Pump Town". A minister who was kicked out of Hebron may have coined the phrase "Blue Laws". A law school opened here in 1810. For a short time, automobiles were manufactured here. This is a two-sided marker from the CT Historical Commission, with the familiar white lettering on a blue background. The marker dates to 1979 and is in very good shape. It's located on the Town Green just in front of the gorgeous Old Town Hall in Hebron's historic district. The view of the bright blue marker in front of the stunning old white building makes for a very nice image.

On the town green where Bolton Center Road crosses Hebron Road lies a cluster of Veterans Monuments…read morededicated to the generations of Bolton's veterans. It's always powerful to see how a town honors its soldiers across the decades and centuries of history. The centerpiece of this Veterans Park is a three-paneled engraved stone with the names of soldiers that served in Americas late twentieth and early twenty-first century wars - WW II, Korea, Viet Nam, Kuwait, and Afghanistan/Iraq. There's also a lovely old plaque dedicated to the "Bolton Boys" of WW I, and another plaque for WW II, Korea, and Viet Nam. There's a flagpole, a historical marker honoring Rochambeau's army marching through town to aid George Washington's army, and another marker listing the historic sites in town. In its understated simplicity, this is a beautiful tribute to those who defended America across the centuries of history. Nice job, Bolton, CT !.

Cool Bolton Fact # 1 ... Rochambeau's army of French soldiers marched through Bolton on their way…read moreto aid George Washington's army at Yorktown. Cool Bolton Fact # 2 ... The plaque specifically mentions that one of Bolton's earliest products was cider brandy. Cool Bolton Fact # 3 ...Another early product was quarried stone that ended up as pavement in the streets of Hartford and major cities along the East Coast. Some very cool facts about a very small town, don't you agree? This is a two-sided marker from the CT Historical Commission, with the familiar white lettering on a blue background. It has the same inscription on both sides. The marker dates to 1980 and is in very good shape. It's located on the Town Green where Bolton Center Road crosses Hebron Road.

Nice, renovated library in a really historic building. Built in 1905 (I think)…read more This library has some really cool selections of books, magazines and movies and other things too.

I find it rather problematic that most of the libraries in this state have never been reviewed on…read moreYelp. I mean, it doesn't get more public than a public library, right? So this is the second time I've ever been to the Booth & Dimock library, thanks to the Connecticut Authors Trail, and I've got to tell you, it's a hidden gem as far as libraries go. Very clean, well lit, fully stocked, pretty up to date as far as technology goes, I was immediately struck with how this historical little library is everything that a library should be and then some. The staff were incredibly nice and pleasant, very helpful, and the bathrooms were both very clean (go downstairs to the children's restroom, they have a Harry Potter switchplate on the light switch). Very cool little library with a history, if you're in the area you should go. You know, pick up a book and read it instead of being on FaceBook or Instagram. Or instead of just an eBook. Thumb through some actual pages. I've never seen a more interactive and interesting looking children's section in a library.