Beautiful castle Visited over the winter. Worn down and decrepit. Amazing pictures with an eerie…read morefeeling.

Nothing much to see at this moment. A stone castle left in ruins, now adorned with fences,…read moregraffitis and boards. Just a short walk from nearby park where you could park your car.

You'll find the Danbury 9/11 Memorial in Elmwood Park on Main Street. It's a twelve foot tall…read morehollow rectangular glass tower built from shards of broken glass. The shape resembles one of the Twin Towers. The glass structure is mounted on a five sided base carved out of Connecticut granite. Connecticut lost 152 residents on 9/11 and all of their names are etched into one of the glass panels. It's in a very pretty setting with landscaping, benches and patio paver stones A nearby plaque reads: Dedicated in loving memory to Connecticut victims of the terrorist attack on the United States September 11, 2001 Mayor Mark D. Boughton Danbury 9-11 Memorial Committee September 11, 2004

This was so much fun! Unfortunately, when we went, the train wasn't running or not all of it, but…read morewe had a great time! I'm looking forward to coming back because I would like to hear the tour they offer to patrons who visit the trains in the yard.

The people who work within the Danbury Historical Society are some of the most kind and…read morecompassionate that I've met. While home in CT on a short vacation, I wanted to do some genealogy research that I have not been able to complete due to living across the country. I walked in later in the afternoon yesterday and had just missed their resident researcher. I was asked if I could come back today where I could spend some time going through files. I went back in this morning and was blown away by the amount of information that I found. I already knew that I was eligible to work on membership to the DAR for my family, but Diane, the resident researcher, went above and beyond to find many other details about our family from even farther back than that. Deeds, a family book of genealogy, and pictures were amongst the finds today. I grew up in Danbury, but never really got into the history of the city until over the past few years. I admire what the historical society is doing and that they will take you in with open arms and help you with your research. They survive on donations so make sure that you donate something for the time that they give to preserve the history of the town.

This Uncle Sam stands in the parking lot of the Danbury Railway Museum. At 38 feet tall, this Sam…read moreis claimed to be the world's tallest, and at 4,500 pounds, I'm guessing he is also the heftiest. The statue was built for a chain of Ohio restaurants in the 1950s named Uncle Sam's. He was clear-coated in 1992 and today he's looking good, patriotic and colorful. His past homes include the state fairgrounds in Danbury, Connecticut, and Lake George, New York, where he stood in the parking lot of the fairy tale Magic Forest theme park.

"God help us do our best We will not slack or rest…read moreUntil the last fallen hero rests in peace" (Charlie Daniels) This simple memorial honors 38 CT Department of Transportation workers who lost their lives while maintaining Connecticut's roadways. You'll find it at the Danbury rest stop on I-84 East, just past Exit 2. It's a simple white metal sign with a prominent image of the familiar orange traffic cone adorned with a black banner reading "We remember". It's a pretty sobering thought to realize that these highway workers get killed doing their jobs.

Phineas Taylor (P.T.) Barnum was quite a character…read more He is best known as a bombastic showman, promoting elaborate hoaxes, human oddities and the Barnum & Bailey Circus. He allegedly coined the phrase ""There's a sucker born every minute". But he was more than the promoter of the Fiji Mermaid and General Tom Thumb the dwarf. He was also a politician -serving twice in the Connecticut state legislature and once as the mayor of Bridgeport, CT. As mayor, he fought to improve the quality of Bridgeport's water, brought gas street lights to his city, and helped found Bridgeport Hospital. He was an abolitionist and spoke these flowery words against slavery - "A human soul, that God has created and Christ died for, is not to be trifled with. It may tenant the body of a Chinaman, a Turk, an Arab, or a Hottentot--it is still an immortal spirit". This terrific sculpture, located in his home city of Bethel, CT, shows Mr. Barnum looking very spiffy in a top coat and bow tie. He is holding his top hat triumphantly in the air, as if he had just introduced some spectacular act to a packed house. An inscription below the sculpture reads: Born Bethel, CT 1810 "I was born and reared in an atmosphere of merriment my natural bias was developed and strengthened by the associations of my youth; and I feel myself entitled to record the sayings and doings of the wags and eccentricities of Bethel because they partly explain the causes which have made me what I am." Dedicated by the Bethel Historical Society on the 26th of September 2010 Erected 2010 by Bethel Historical Society.

Amazing work of art . The artist David Gesualdi really captured the essence of PTBarnumread more

I love Squantz Pond State Park They do an excellent job,…read moremaintaining the grounds around the beach, the trails for walking and the huge picnic area. The water is fenced off from the picnic area for safety. There are also docks for fishing and it is a really beautiful natural scene. There's a place for canoeing kayaking, and the beach is available for the public. Had a small charge for parking . But relatively free compared to other beaches within driving distance.

Very scenic place on the shores of Squantz Pond, which empties into Candlewood Lake. In normal…read moretimes there is a beach and a couple of comfort stations, although the beaches are closed at this time. I'm not sure if the restrooms are still open. There are several barbecue pits around and trees to gather under so you could really have a nice picnic here, even if you didn't go to the sandy beach area. It's peaceful except for the jetskis that drone endlessly in circles close to shore. They are really loud so don't expect to enjoy peace and quiet in nature. But if you're there when they aren't around, you'll have a very nice time.

This 6 foot tall marble Union soldier stands on top of a 26 foot tall granite base. The monument is…read morepatterned after Hadrian's Column in Rome. The solder is wearing a Union cap, knee-length coat and cape with his right arm wrapped around a flag with a sheathed sword in his left hand. The tower base is inscribed "To our brothers. Beloved, honored, revered, who died that our country might live." And on the lower base, "The defenders of the Union." And spiraled around the column, the battlefields Bull Run, Wilderness, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Gettysburg, Chancellorsville, Appomattox, Petersburg and Port Hudson. The monument was installed in 1880. There is street parking nearby (you can see my van in one of my pictures). [Review 18392 overall - 58 in Connecticut - 1914 of 2022.]

I've heard of the Ramapo Indians but never saw the tribe spelled as "Ramapoo" until yesterday when…read moreI saw that unusual combination of letters on the Ridgefield Historical Marker. The inscription details a fairly in depth story of the town, starting with the Ramapoo, then moving on to the town's historical significance during the Revolutionary War, and its evolution into a prosperous New York City getaway for the affluent. You'll find the marker in front of the Ridgefield Library where Main Street hits Prospect Street. It's a 2-sided marker from the CT Historical Commission in the familiar white lettering on a blue background. There is a different inscription on each side. The marker was dedicated in 1980 and is in excellent condition. The full inscription reads: This town was founded in 1708 by a group of families from Norwalk who purchased twenty thousand acres from the Ramapoo Indians for one hundred pounds sterling. They were aided by John Copp, a surveyor, who explored the land now lying between High Ridge and East Ridge and recommended it as a promising agricultural area, suitable for settlement. In 1777 at the Battle of Ridgefield, Colonial militia fought British and Hessian troops returning from a raid on American military stores in Danbury. They were headed back to Compo Beach on the shore of Long Island Sound. Ridgefield began as a farming community and remained a typical New England village until after the Civil War. Then it became a summer resort town for prosperous New York City families and many large homes were erected over the years on Main Street, West Lane, High Ridge, Peaceable Street, and East Ridge. Since railroad lines had avoided Ridgefield because of its altitude, it remained more rural than other towns near New York City. Businessmen of the town, however, were able to promote and secure the construction of a spur line from Branchville in 1870 to make this community more easily accessible. The families from New York hired Italian and Irish immigrants who built village utilities and became estate managers and gardeners. The descendants of many of these workers attained status in business and civic affairs of the town as time went on. Native sons of Ridgefield who achieved eminence include Phineas C. Lounsbury, Governor of Connecticut 1887-1889, and Cyrus Northrup, President of the University of Minnesota from 1884 to 1911. The expansion of suburban New York began to reach Ridgefield in the 1950's and continues to this time. Despite this, much of the town retains its true small-town New England flavor. Erected by Town of Ridgefield, The Ridgefield Preservation Trust and the Connecticut Historical Commission. 1980. Five stars for its excellent condition, two sides of an interesting inscription, and the Ramapoo!