Who was General David Humphreys? He accepted the British flag when they surrendered to end the…read moreAmerican Revolutionary War. He was a Derby native. Add that historical nugget to the knowledge that pins, silver, bolts, typewriters, harnesses, and hoop skirts were manufactured here back in the day and you have one pretty cool marker. This is a 2-sided marker from the CT Historical Commission in the familiar white lettering on a blue background. It has different inscriptions on each side. The marker was dedicated in 1981 and is in excellent shape. The blue background is fairly bright with no signs of fading or peeling. The full inscription reads: Derby Birthplace of two distinguished wartime heroes General David Humphreys, aide-de-camp to General George Washington, accepted the British colors at the surrender at Yorktown, Virginia. Friend of both Washington and General Thaddeus Kosciuszko, Polish patriot and hero of the American Revolutionary War. Commodore Isaac Hull, commander of the frigate Constitution ("Old Ironsides") which destroyed the British frigate Guerriere in the first great naval battle of the War of 1812. Many brave men and women from Derby also served or gave their lives for their country in all wars in which the United States has engaged. In 1642 John Wakeman established the first trading post in the Naugatuck Valley at the confluence of the Naugatuck and Housatonic Rivers. Edward Wooster, a Milford pioneer, became the first permanent settler in 1654. The land, originally called Paugassett for the native Paugasuck Indians, was granted rights of a plantation and in 1675 named Derby after Derby, England, former home of some of the settlers. It included what is now Ansonia, Seymour, and parts of Oxford and Beacon Falls. Shipbuilding and agriculture made Derby a major foreign and domestic seaport until the early 1800's. In 1833 Sheldon Smith began a manufacturing center between the two rivers. Industries flourished in the making of iron, copper, organs, pins, silver, bolts, typewriters, harness, hoop skirts, tools, and wheels. The first trolley car in New England ran here in 1888. In 1893, with its present boundaries, Derby became a city. Today it remains an industrial center of great diversity Erected 1981 by the City of Derby, the Old Derby Historical Society, and the Connecticut Historical Commission. 154 CT towns done, 16 to go

"Well, cuddle up, angel, cuddle up, my little dove And we'll…read moreride down, baby, into this tunnel of love" (Bruce Springsteen) You'll find it on the Wilbur Cross Parkway near New Haven, CT. Driving on the Parkway, it's become a Connecticut landmark - a welcome and familiar sight. It was blasted through a 1,200-foot-long hole through the West Ridge Mountain in 1949. It carries approximately 77,300 vehicles daily. It was originally named the West Rock Tunnel. It was renamed the Heroes Tunnel in 2003 to honor "heroes of all kinds" in the post-September 11 era. The Tunnel and Wilbur Cross Parkway are vital connectors between New York and Hartford.

The Heroes Tunnel (formerly known as the West Rock Tunnel)…read more "the former name of this tunnel was provided by fellow YELPER Jim C. from Wallingford, CT and represents "historical" information that can not be confirmed or denied by this reviewer but much appreciated" The tunnels are located along the Wilbur Cross Parkway (Route 15) in the Town of Woodbridge and the City of New Haven, near the Town of Hamden border. The Heroes Tunnel is a 1,200-foot long tunnel, which passes through West Rock Ridge in New Haven and Woodbridge. The existing tunnels were constructed between spring 1948 and fall 1949 and consists of two 28-foot wide by 19-foot high barrels with horseshoe cross-sections. The northbound and southbound barrels of the tunnel consist of two 11-foot wide travel lanes with 6-inch shoulders and a 2-foot 6-inch wide raised maintenance walk on each side. The centerlines of the barrels are approximately 63 feet apart. It is debatable that this is the only tunnel to pass beneath a natural land feature in the State of Connecticut and is eligible for listing on both the National and State Registers of Historic Places. It seems the renaming of these tunnels weren't well received - this challenge to leave the tunnels name in tack was not in anyway meant to take away from the many heroic efforts by any of the participants the name "Heroes Tunnel" may reference whom have sacrificed it all helping humanity, it's more about renaming history and the cancel culture that continues to identify and change historical significance landmarks that aren't offensive and was in no way meant to be prejudice against any culture, creed or the oppressed. These tunnels were engineering marvels through the time of their inception and construction and are monumental feats that reflect the pride of those that worked and sweated to make travel in the area convenient and safe for those that transverse America's highways...

On the tenth anniversary of that terrible day, the Woodbridge Volunteer Fire Association unveiled…read morethis memorial to the murderous attacks on the World Trade Center. You can see it right at the main entrance of the Woodbridge Volunteer Fire Department. Members of the association traveled to JFK airport and returned to Woodbridge with a 1,200 pound steel beam from one of the fallen towers. A crane was needed to hoist the beam in the air and place it into its final position at the memorial. The memorial's design has the beam rising from a pool of water. At night, the pool is illuminated in a blue light that shines an image of the Twin Towers onto the firehouse. A stone at the base of the memorial is engraved with these words: "Never Forget 9-11-01" Around the steel beam is a memorial garden that also honors the fallen firefighters of Woodbridge.

The sign up front. I can never tell if this place is open. I would revise my review once I get the…read moreopportunity to actually tour it. It would be nice if they had hours of operation and grab and go calendars readily accessible.

The Seymour Historical Society is a gem! The Catherine Matthies house serves as a working museum…read morealong with hosting the Society. The Society puts on 8 to 10 programs throughout the year and invites the community in for them and to view the collections. The speakers that they get for the programs are fantastic! I have attended talks on bees, the Naugatuck River dams, all the wars, on Yale Bowl, on old trails and roadways in the area, and all sorts of other topics. If you haven't had a chance to visit, check their Facebook page or website, www.SeymourHistoricalSociety.org for upcoming event dates.

Are you a Beatles fan and are you pretty good at Beatle trivia? OK, fanboy, what unusual musical…read moreinstrument, dating to the 1800's can be heard on "We Can Work It Out", "A Day in the Life", "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!", "Hello, Goodbye", and "Your Mother Should Know"? The answer is a harmonium a/k/a melodeon. They are varieties of free reed organs. And guess what old CT town manufactured melodeons? Ever use a book of matches? Some of the earliest matches made in the US of A were also made here. The Woodbridge Historical marker from the CT Historical Commission is located on an exterior wall of the Old Center School, which now houses the police station and various town offices. You'll see the familiar white lettering on a blue background mounted high on the gable end of the brick building. The marker was dedicated in 1979 and is in pretty good condition with no signs of fading or peeling The full inscription reads: Woodbridge The town consists of portions of the colonial jurisdictions of New Haven and Milford. Founded in 1738 as the Parish of Amity, it was incorporated in 1784 by act of the Connecticut General Assembly and named after the first parish minister, the Reverend Benjamin Woodbridge, who served 1742 to 1785. The first meetinghouse was built in 1740 on the green and met the needs of the community until 1832, when it was replaced by the present building, dedicated on January 1, 1833. The early economy was largely agricultural, but there were several small factories producing such items as melodeons, corkscrews, cement, candlesticks, clocks, and spinning wheels. Some of the earliest friction matches in this country were made in Woodbridge. The decline of farming and improved transportation after 1900, together with the natural beauty and topography of the land, have contributed largely to its growth and distinction as a residential community. Erected by the Town of Woodbridge the Amity & Woodbridge Historical Society and the Connecticut Historical Commission 1979 156 CT towns done, 14 to go

My boyfriend and I went for a mini vacation in Norwalk, CT and I booked the Sunset Harbor…read moreLighthouse Tour which we went on this past Sunday evening from 6:30-8:30, on 8/10/25. This tour was definitely a highlight of our trip! Captain John and Charlie were great and all the passengers aboard had a great time! We passed three lighthouses-Peck Ledge LH, Sheffield Island LH and Green's Ledge LH. Charlie, co-captain of Captain John, had just toured the inside of Green's Ledge LH the day before which is listed on Airbnb for $6,000! He went around the ship showing everyone the floor plan. It especially exciting to be on the Long Island Sound and to see the red and white towers from Northport, since I live on Long Island!! We were able to see several different viewpoints of the sunset and osprey nests as well. Definitely recommend to residents of Norwalk AND tourists alike!

What a treat! If you live in the area, you need to put this on your summer to-do list. I've lived…read morein the area for five years but didn't learn about this cruise until this summer. Be warned, book tickets online and in advance. They sold out for day/time we wanted to take the cruise, but there were 20 tickets still available the night before. Plan accordingly. We arrived for a 3:30 cruise on a beautiful August afternoon. The cruise seemed to be full, and there was a mix of couples and families on the boat. The boat ride is smooth and relaxing. The boat staff was offering a "guided" tour, but it was tough to hear, so I gave up trying and just enjoyed the experience of being out on the water. The boat ride is about 30 - 40 minutes each way. You won't get wet, at least we didn't, and there are enough seats/room for everyone. Once you arrive at the island, you have about 1.5 hours to explore. They have a guided lighthouse tour, a small concession stand, a small beach (not one that you would lay out at, so no need to bring a suit), volleyball courts, nature trails, etc. This entire experience is set up to be calm and relaxing. There isn't too much to do on the island, but that's kind of the point. You are only there for 1.5 hours, and there's no way you can get that bored in that period. Just unwind and take in the scenery for a few minutes, it will clear your mind. They offer limited food at the concession stand, but you can always bring your own snacks as well. Next time, I will bring a few snacks for us, especially since our trip was over dinner time. The bugs - BEWARE. They don't spray for mosquitos, and as a result, they are everywhere. I didn't know bugs would be a problem in advance, but the cruise provides spray upon arrival for free! I brought my own SPF, but they also provided that as well. The staff is lovely and do anything they can to make your experience as pleasant as possible. This is the perfect low-key day trip, and I highly recommend it to anyone in the area.

What a great library in a rural area. The staff is friendly, knowledgeable, and very helpful. They…read morehave a wide range of materials and if you can't find what you're looking for, they can order it for you. The place was very clean and well organized. It also has a great children's section upstairs.

For a town of its size, the collection and facilities of the public library in Woodbridge are…read moredecent. However, it clearly trails other local libraries in certain areas. Most prominently, other libraries get new books and DVDs out into circulation MUCH faster than Woodbridge. Other libraries seem to get stuff out on street date (the day it would go on sale at retail) - at Woodbridge, it almost always takes a week or two of sitting in "Tech Services" before anything goes out. When I brought this to the attention of the previous Director, she merely gave me a list of flimsy excuses. It was pretty sad, as the fact remains every other library is serving their users more efficiently. The underlying problem is that though the librarians here are fairly pleasant, there's virtually no turnover, and therefore nothing encouraging anyone to work smarter, harder, faster, etc. In addition to everything working slowly, I've noted that the librarians rarely collect late fees, especially from the older patrons - they usually say something like "you have a late fee of x, but don't worry about it if you don't have it today". What's the possible justification for not collecting late fees? To make it worse, I've on several occasions seen librarians inform a patron that they have an overdue item, and the patron say "oh, I returned that". And the librarian accepts this claim at face value, and tells the patron not to worry! I witnessed this just the other day. This encourages awful behavior and punishes the rest of us who go to pains to respect the library's collection, return items on time, pay late fees, etc.

Mike (the owner) has a real love for the restaurant, its history & its customers. The servers were…read moreterrific, as was the food! I'm from out of state but would go back in a second. Highly recommend this place.

Came here now, four times with my daughter. We love this place. We love Dave who is always there to…read moregreet us and usually wait on us as well. We always enjoy the space as it used to be a bank in the 1800's. The safe is literally #1 and is still standing and storing the wine. The food has been consistently good. I haven't had a bad meal yet. They are large portions, so if you're like me, you're definitely having leftovers.