This December 2024 will commemorate the 49th Anniversary of the "Beer Train Wreck" in Windsor, CT.,…read morelike Dan R. mentioned in his wonderful review there isn't much information on this major derailment. I had the opportunity to stop and look at the memorial sculptures that mark this historic event that was created by Lon Pelton. Along side the photos that I took and posted are a few photos I'd like to give credit that hopefully meet copyright and reprint requirements to the Windsor Historical Society and then Windsor Police Officer John Gasparino for the photo which gives a little more insight to the immense size of this event. This site is pretty cool and definitely worth a few minutes of your time if you too enjoy historic sites and roadside oddities. I can imagine the impact of this event on the citizens of Windsor and the surrounding communities at the time. I imagine how the town rushed to get as close as possible to witness this derailment and the clean-up process, I'm sure it's something that anyone that witnessed will never forget. I was a little taken back how Mother Nature has been allowed to reclaim portions of these sculptures and the lack of ground maintenance surrounding it - this is a site that should be preserved in my opinion and would definitely make for a cool field trip for school age children (if field trips are still allowed these days). I for one would make a one time donation in the name of preserving this site...

If you've ever been to the Whistle Stop Café, you might have noticed the "Train Wreck Burger" on…read morethe menu. Ever wonder why? The answer can be found in two sculptures located in the Whistle Stop's parking lot that commemorate a nasty 1975 accident when a flatbed railroad car hauling a load of lumber shifted and the train crashed into an overpass on Palisado Avenue. There are two sculptures here, each with a descriptive plaque. The first statue is near the side entrance to the restaurant. It's an abstract work with railroad track rails and wood ties with various train parts laid out inside the tracks. The second statue includes huge hunks of twisted metal, presumably debris from the smashed overpass. I did a lot of research trying to find an account of this 1975 accident without any success. Nevertheless, it's a very interesting and highly creative pair of attention grabbers at the Whistle Stop.

The Patriots of Windsor memorial is on the Village Green set just behind Broad Street…read more It's directly across from the library and is easily visible from Broad Street. The statue is a large bronze eagle with outstretched wings, set on a stone base. It bears a rather short inscription, "To The Patriots Of Windsor". It was sculpted by Evelyn Beatrice Longman and was dedicated on November 3, 1929. It's listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Soooo there is evidence that dinosaurs once roamed Connecticut and it's located in the town of…read moreWindsor, CT. It's not a protected archaeological site so it's very accessible to the public, although there is no formal parking lot so pay attention to how you park and respect the property. I love these roadside oddities, I find them irresistible on many fronts and seek them out in my travels. These scrapyard works of art exhibits a very creative mind. These colorful creatures are pretty amazing so if you get the chance to enjoy them if only for a few moments I highly recommend doing it...

These are literally just some metal dinosaur sculptures that are on the corner of a residential…read moreroad, and they're fantastic. They're well-made and fun to look at. There's no real parking since it's just a residential street, so you have to park off the side of the road and walk to the corner. I went in the fall and it was really nice, but a bit muddy. There's also a geocache hidden here that was fun to look for and find!

Another one of the many treasures to be found in Windsor's historic zone…read more This one is found on the Palisado Green, pretty close to the John Mason statue. It honors the brave pioneers who sailed across the Atlantic in 1630 to found Windsor in 1635. The monument has three stone panels with curved tops. The middle panel is taller and contains a striking golden image of a three masted ship named the "Mary and John" - this is the ship that carried the Windsor pioneers to the new world. The two side panels has the names of those on the ship. The center panel reads: TO THE FOUNDERS OF WINDSOR AND THE FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH IN CONNECTICUT WHICH CAME TO AMERICA IN THE MARY AND JOHN WITH ITS PASTOR - JOHN WARHAM MAY 30, 1630 SETTLED IN DORCHESTER MASSACHUSETTS AND MIGRATED TO WINDSOR IN MAY AND OCTOBER 1635 THIS MEMORIAL ERECTED ON THE SITE OF THE FIRST CHURCH BUILDING BY THE SONS AND DAUGHTERS OF THE PILGRIMS CONNECTICUT BRANCH MAY 30, 1930 Sadly, the monument is in a distressed and worn condition. Sections of the engraving have been eroded away and is just about impossible to read. Such a shame that an important monument like this should be in such deplorable condition

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.

It may not be in great condition, but it has a super cool inscription, so I give it 4 stars…read more Any plaque that talks about tomahawk damage to a door cannot possible rate less than 4 stars!! The inscription reads "On the brow of the hill overlooking the meadow stood the Old Stone Fort or Stoughton House. It was in two portions, one stone, probably the older, and one wood. At the north end was a door of heavy oak timbers studded with iron spikes, which bore the hacks and cuts of Indian tomahawks. The house was torn down in 1809" . It's located on Rt 159 North, Palisado Avenue, heading away from WIndsor.

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....

So where do you think was the oldest ferry in the United States? How about Windsor, CT! That ferry…read morewas Bissell's Ferry, and it connected Windsor and what is now South Windsor, just north of Hartford. This is a historical marker that commemorates the road to the Bissell's Ferry launch site. The ferry was established by the General Court of Connecticut in 1641, operated by the Bissell family for nearly one hundred years. Eventually it was leased to various townsmen and continuously operated until 1917. It's a simple plaque located on Rt 159 North. It's kind of rusted and not in the greatest shape.

This gorgeous fountain on the Broad Street Green was built somewhere around 1880. It honors the…read morememory of Hezekiah Bradley Loomis (1809 - 1878), a name I wasn't familiar with so I did some research. He was an educator -the founder of the Loomis Institute which is now known as the Loomis Chaffee School, a well known college preparatory school. There is a plaque commemorating the fountain's 1983 restoration in conjunction with Windsor's 350th birthday. The plaque lists the patrons and corporate sponsors and bears the inscription "Exhilaration Through Water As a Living Commemorative". The fountain is in great shape and sits in the center of the town green in front of Town Hall. The green was crowded this afternoon with a group of kids playing ball. Although the fountain looks great, the plaque, sadly, is showing signs of wear and tarnish.

Gorgeous architecture, beautiful woodwork and stunning art…read more Free tours, and parking. Highly recommend a visit. Our tour took about an hour. We did not reserve in advance, we simply arrived.

Last day visiting CT and decided this was the way to go. Visited on a Monday around noon, and it…read morewas not busy at all. We were able to walk in and tour the place ourselves. It is such a neat building with plenty of historic artifacts inside. All the employees were super friendly. People do actually work inside of this building, so it was busy with a bunch of workers trying to make it from one point of the building to the other. Learned a little bit of CT history. We were able to tour the room where the decision was made to make Marijuana legal in CT. About 4 stories tall. We also were able to walk underground over to the legislative building as well! Such neat history is located here also. A lot of comemerative veterans are seen all throughout the walls also which lets you pay many respects throughout your visit. It was such a great last day tour, and I'm glad we visited.