Eri Woodbury was a Civil War Union soldier who drew his saber on four Confederate soldiers and…read moresingle handedly persuaded them to surrender. Harvey Barnum was a Vietnam era Marine. When his battalion was riddled by enemy fire, he tended to his commander's wounds, grabbed the radio from the dead radio operator, moved through enemy fire, organized the remnants of the battalion and safely evacuated them to safety. Both men were from Cheshire. Both men were awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor -our nation's "highest award for valor in action." In 1998, their hometown honored their patriotism with the dedication of a Medal of Honor Plaza and educational Living Classroom at the entrance to Bartlem Park, more or less across the street from Cheshire High School. The plaza has a 50 feet wide star on the ground constructed from bricks. The bricks have the names of hundreds of Cheshire veterans inscribed on them. The middle of the plaza has a black granite monument that looks like a podium or a lectern. It bears the names and ranks of Woodbury and Barnum. Stone benches are also set in the plaza, bearing their names as well. The Living Classroom is an interesting idea- there are five trees planted at the corners of the plaza star that have ties to historic places or events, like Gettysburg, Washington's Delaware crossing, and Connecticut's Constitution Oak. The lectern is inscribed on its sides with these words: The American Revolution War of 1812 Spanish-American War World War I World War II Korean War Gulf War Remembering The Many Sacrifices That Preserved Our Freedom Residents of Cheshire Heroes of the United States Medal of Honor Recipient 1st Lieutanant Harvey C. Barnum, Jr. U.S. Marines Vietnam Medal of Honor Recipient Sgt. Eri D. Woodbury 1st Vermont Cavalry Civil War

I came here on a fall afternoon as the sun was setting. It's a bit of a drive up to the castle from…read morethe entrance of the park but not too bad- about 10-15 minutes. I like that there are stairs inside the castle. What a beautiful view from the top! The foliage was a bit past peak but still gorgeous. It was windy and chilly but totally worth the views!

Yesterday my dog Brody and I decided to visit Castle Craig which is perfectly situated high above…read moreHubbard Park in order to gain a view of both the park and much of Meriden. Though this year's peak fall colors were muted and a bit past, it was still highly enjoyable.

Bizarre with a capital "B"…read more There is a Timexpo Museum in Waterbury that tells the story of the Timex company, and the history of watches and time. But as important as that might be, they are nothing when compared to the totally cool 40' tall Easter Island Moai statue that graces a strip of grass in front of the museum. What exactly this statue has to do with the history of time, I don't know. What I do know is this- I pity the poor drunken fool who might be unfortunate enough to be stumbling down Union Street when he glances up and sees this 40 foot tall beast blocking his path. I think that would sober up our poor guy pretty fast.

Discover the Easter Island Moai…read more Forget your bucket list. Don't wait till you can't climb the hill at the quarry to one of the world's most amazing places, Rano Raraku on isolated Easter Island. A giant Moai is waiting to be freed from a thousand years of captivity. What was the last carver's thoughts as he walked away from his final creation? Take a flight or a cruise to French Polynesia and visit Easter Island. Sign up with Tiare Edmunds of Easter Island Guides for a one or two or day tour and see what time left behind. Tiare is the only Rapanui native guide with direct descendents to the original natives. She leads you on an adventure back in time in her air conditioned vehicle. Easter Island is situated on a triangle of volcanic rock in the South Pacific over 2,000 miles from Tahiti and Chile. It's a living outdoor museum and Tiare has the E ticket pass. We were picked up at the pier and spent two incredible days exploring and learning about what might of happened to a thriving culture that almost lead to extinction. While historically no one knows exactly what happened to leave behind over 900 massive Moai, Tiare will help you understand the culture and the people. She also brought along a picnic lunch on both days of arugula from her garden on fresh sandwiches and olives and Rapa Nui locally brewed beer. What a treat. Looking out over the ocean, drinking a cold beer, having a great lunch and talking with a real local historian about her family's history. A truly memorable time. Don't wait.

Dedicated in 1884, this is an absolutely beautiful monument. It is a stunning 48 feet tall. It has…read moreornate and incredible detailed sculptures on all sides. I saw an old grizzled exhausted soldier sitting to catch a few minutes of rest. A grim looking citizen soldier holds his rifle in his right hand while his left hand is clenched in a fist of fury. A seated woman holds a book while two children crowd around her. A blacksmith stands tall and proud. The monument is capped by a Greek goddess holding her crown of laurels. There is artwork everywhere- sculpted panels and lamp posts made of rifles. And of course, there are inscribed plaques with the flowery language of the day. One reads: In honor of the patriotism and to perpetuate the memory of the 900 brave men who went forth from this town to fight in the war for the union. This monument has been erected by their townsmen that all who come after them may be mindful of their deeds, and fail not in the day of trial to emulate their example. 1861-1865 Another one reads: Brave men, who rallying at your country's call, Went forth to fight - if Heaven willed, to fall! Returned, ye walk with us through sunnier years, And hear your nation say, God bless you all! Brave men, who yet a heavier burden bore. And came not home to hearts by grief made sore! They call you dead and lo ye grandly live. Shrined in the nation's love forevermore! 1865-1885 So many of Connecticut's old towns have a monument or two like this. They are so easy to overlook, so easy to drive by without even realizing what they are. Look at the statues, look at the sadness in the faces. These are treasures.

This museum is adorable! I came because of a Groupon, and parking may be an issue for events. It…read morewas very limited on the property itself, although there is handicapped parking right next to the main house. Outside there is a barn and old outhouse, and a beautiful garden display. it's very well maintained. The entrance is off the front porch, where you're greeted by a docent or intern. Tours of the house are 20-30 minutes, and it contains so many original items from the original family who owned it (it went right from the last surviving to a museum), and the last generation was into collecting. There's a lot of local history, many dog decorations, and GOBLETS. There's over 1,000 goblets, and most seem to be single styles. They are working on cataloging them. The house is beautiful, and the history is fascinating. If you live in the area, you'll pick up pieces of Southington back in the day. Children would even enjoy seeing the cases of old products and what names they may recognize. And the goblets are breathtaking. This is a great value museum! (They also sell postcards for a great price)

This guy never…read more threw out anything The Barnes Museum, formerly known as the Bradley Homestead, is a cool old house that serves as a historical library and is open to the public. It was built in 1836 and for five bucks you get to see and hear about another time and way of life. The first thing you notice once you are inside the house is that there is a lot of stuff. Lots of lots of stuff. All kinds of stuff. Stuff everywhere. It turns out Bradley Barnes, a son of the original builder of the house never threw out anything. He collected and kept all kinds of stuff. Some very cool stuff but also a lot of crap. It seems every single receipt, letter, photo, magazine, toy, knick knack and doo dad he every owned he kept. Perhaps some serious OCD going on there. It almost seemed like he knew the house was going to be a museum and wanted it well stocked with stuff. Of course all this stuff makes the house interesting to tour. The lady bringing us around seemed to know exactly what every single piece in the house was and where it came from. Pretty cool and amazing. All the stuff isn't from Bradley or from one temporal moment. Leela Barnes, Bradley's wife was a prolific painter and many of her paintings are scattered throughout the domicile. She also had many collections and also seem to keep just about everything she ever owned. You can definitely see what the attraction between these two was The house was being lived in until the 1970's when it was donated to the town so there were modifications and changes to the original structure and items from different decades. Going through the place is almost like a walk through time. Shifting back and forth through different years ands individuals. Of course you inevitable go back to Bradley's stuff. A great old house that is in absolutely pristine condition. It's filled with lots of very cool and some not so cool stuff. So much stuff that you have to thread carefully in places so that you don't end up breaking some of the stuff. I have a feeling that Leela and Bradley were a couple of crazy sob's but because of them we have a great old historic house filled with lots of very interesting stuff.

This trail is about 4miles give or take there and back. There are benches along the way and two…read morebridges going over the water and one tunnel under the highway. It does flood under that bridge if raining a lot. There is a sign that says flood zone turn around don't drown or something like that. I can walk the whole thing in about 45 minutes. And there are a few little tails off it into the woods but they don't really loop and you have to turn around and come right back. You cal also park at either end.

"Oh, Suzie Q Baby, I love you, Suzie Q"…read more(Creedence Clearwater Revival) The indigenous people's word "Quinnipiac" roughly translates into English as "long-water people". The Q River is 38 miles long, and you'll get a gorgeous view of it from the bridge on the Quinnipiac Linear Trail. We had a lovely hike on the trail today, as did dozens of friendly walkers who smiled and waved to us as we walked from the main parking lot to the bridge and back. It was a very easy low impact walk of about two miles round trip. The trail is flat, paved, and very wide -at least fifteen feet wide. There were a few side trails marked by fresh mulch or wood shavings if you want to go off the beaten path. We saw plenty of interesting things on our walk - basketball courts, a wood walkway over some wetlands, several informational kiosks, a Lending library with a box of Narcan Nasal Spray prominently on display up front, a labyrinth, and scenic views of the Merrit Parkway which at times seemed about 50 feet from the trail. One other interesting but infuriating thing we saw was a collection of red, black, and blue knotted bags of dog doody that was neatly stacked around a Pet Waste station just under a sign that read "Please Keep This Area Clean".

A really nice, out-of-the way park in a bucolic setting. The museum and restrooms were closed…read more(seasonal?), but there were lots and lots of joggers, walkers, bike riders, dog walkers, and roller bladers. The main path, which parallels the old lock, is paved, at least as far as we went in. Beautiful day, with plenty of outdoor benches. Only graffiti I saw was on wooden bridge by caretaker's house. A'hole(s). Otherwise, no litter, and well maintained.

So, the Lock 12 Historical Park is separate from the Farmington Canal Trail, it is a historical…read morepark just off of the trail in Cheshire. It is a pretty park, with bathroom facilities, but all of it could use a little bit of TLC. There aren't any interpretive signs to speak of explaining about the canal's history or even explaining the lock that is here. The lock itself is a bit overgrown and in need of restoration. The bathrooms are nice but could be in better condition. It really could be and should be more than it is, hopefully the town could put some funding into this park for improvements. It's a nice place to stop to use the bathroom, but not any sort of park that I would consider a destination in and of itself. And most important: being that how it's located just off a bicycle trail, there are no bike racks. That's a big oversight, IMO.

Very informative! Amazing history in this area. Beacon Falls has quite the past. I have lived here…read morefor just over a year and find its history enthralling

Things I learned from the Beacon Falls marker:…read more 1) A freed Indian Slave named Toby named a local mountain after himself. 2) They made sulphur matches here in 1835 3) The town was named after a 'small but beautiful waterfall' 4) Ever see the word ''Nyumps '' in your life? I did here. This is a two-sided marker from the CT Historical Commission with the familiar white lettering on a blue background. There are different inscriptions on each side. It's located on a strip of grass near the Beacon Falls Town Hall. The sign dates to 1971 and is in pretty good condition with some minor fading of the white lettering. Sadly, although the sign is in good shape, the support posts are not. The concrete cores are rotting and the metal wrap around them are in states of accelerated failure and splitting. What a disgrace, I'm sure that would make Toby sad. The full inscription reads: The lands of Beacon Falls first appear in history when Milford was settled in 1639. Northern boundary of Milford was Beacon Hill Brook, separating the hunting grounds of the Paugasuck and Tunxis Indians. In 1675 the land became part of Derby. First landowner, Captain Ebenezer Johnson, purchased three parcels in the vicinity of Pinesbridge in 1678. Ensign Riggs and Jeremiah Johnson bought land in 1680. Toby's Mountain (High Rock) was purchased in 1693 by an Indian named Toby, for twelve years a slave of Captain Johnson, freed by him in 1688.The main part of town (called Nyumps) was purchased in 1709. About 1835, some of the earliest American made sulphur matches were manufactured here by Thomas Sanford. Beacon Falls is first mentioned in the Acts of the General Assembly in 1864, when a joint school district was formed and a two room schoolhouse was built on this site. The Town of Beacon Falls was incorporated June 30, 1871, from portions of the Towns of Naugatuck, Bethany, Seymour and Oxford. The name derived from Beacon Hill, where a small but beautiful waterfall descended. Erected 1971 by Town of Beacon Falls, Connecticut Historical Commission.

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.