There is a small landscaped area at the Canton Fire Station set aside as a simple memorial. The…read moresetting includes two refurbished pieces of old firefighting equipment, a flagpole set inside a raised circular platform ringed in brick, and an engraved stone bench. The engraving on the bench reads: In Memory of Leona Miner And Departed Members of the Women's Auxiliary Canton Volunteer Fire Department Leona Miner was a Canton resident who passed away in 2008. She was dedicated to public service and the betterment of her community. She was active in work for the Collinsville Fire Department, Collinsville Ambulance, Canton Volunteer Fire and EMS, Canton Volunteer Fire Women's Auxiliary, former secretary of the Canton Volunteer Fire Co. and North Canton Volunteer Fire Association, treasurer of the Small Potatoes Food Co-op, was a Red Cross Instructor, a Connecticut Master Gardener and member of the Cherry Brook Garden Club.

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 !.

The Town Green in front of Enfield City Hall has a lot going on. There are half a dozen veterans…read moremonuments and this very striking gazebo, known as the Joseph E. O'Connor Gazebo. The gazebo was built in 1984 and was named after Joseph O'Connor, Enfield's mayor from 1981-1985 In many ways, it's a typical gazebo of the kind you've seen a dozen times. It has a brick base, it has white posts and a white railing, it has a steeply pitched octagonal coned wood roof and a white cupola. But what separates this gazebo from its gazebo brothers and sisters is its copper weathervane. Because standing guard on top of this huge cupola is a Revolutionary War drummer perched on a musket! Game, set, match..

Located near the main entrance of the Bloomfield Fire Department's District Offices at 18…read moreWintonbury Avenue sits a stone boulder with two plaques. One of the plaques contains " The Firefighter's Prayer". The inscription reads: When I am called to duty, God, whenever flames may rage; Give me strength to save some life, whatever be its age. Help me embrace a little child before it is too late Or save an older person from the horror of that fate. Enable me to be alert and hear the weakest shout, And quickly and efficiently to put the fire out. I want to fill my calling and to give the best in me, To guard my every neighbor and protect his property. And if, according to my fate, I am to lose my life; Please bless with your protecting hand my children and my mate. Author Unknown There is another plaque above the prayer honoring Chief Adolph P. Jacobsen for his incredible 59 years of service to the Bloomfield Center Fire Department.

Standing on the Town Green next to a gorgeous old building now used as Willington's Meeting House…read moresits an enormous metal bell on a stone platform. The Gothic Revival building dates to 1876, and was first used as a church. It was sold to the Town in 1927 for $1, and became their Town Hall until 1974, The bell is significant, because during WW II, it was taken out of the bell tower because the building was used as an observation tower! The building is now used for public meetings. The marker on the bell's stone platform reads: In 1876 this bell was bought from the First Congregational Church of Stafford for $140 and hung in the belfry of the new Meeting House. In 1942 the bell rested in the entry when the tower was used as an observation post in World War II. On July 4, 1973 the bell pedestal was dedicated by the townspeople

Another example of the seemingly inexhaustible supply of interesting memorials that seem to pop up…read moreunexpectedly in every corner of our state. This one can be found at the intersection of Route 159 (Windsor Avenue) and Deerfield Road. It's on your left as you proceed South on 159. This is an interesting one, because it's dedicated to the veterans of a specific neighborhood of a specific town -namely the Deerfield neighborhood of Windsor, CT. The memorial consists of a plastic globe mounted inside a green metal frame. The frame sits on a concrete base. On the base is an 8 column plaque with approximately 125 names. The plaque's inscription reads "Built by the Residents of the Deerfield section of Windsor to Honor those from the Neighborhood Who Served During World War Two." Behind the memorial is a flagpole, and behind the flagpole there is a series of painted white stones that spell out the letters in "Deerfield", giving it a home-made look. It's a very cool monument.

A very small memorial located in a pretty landscaped section of the side lawn where the Tariffville…read moreFire Station stands. The memorial consists of a stone rectangle with 2 small plaques. The first plaque reads: Arthur J; Hayes Green, Dedicated May 23, 1953 The second plaque reads: In memory of veterans of all wars I did some research and found that Arthur J. Hayes was the Church Historian for the St. Bernard's Catholic Church. The plaques are showing signs of rust and fading.

This memorial is located in historic Collinsville, on the corner of River and Bridge Streets and…read moreerected in 2001. It sits across from the Farmington River as well as the Collinsville walking trail, boat ramp, and flower bridge. The showstopper is the old cannon. This cannon was built in New York for World War I. The memorial is for those who sacrificed their lives in the World, Korean, and Vietnam Wars. There's a stone engraved with all the soldiers' names that served and were from Canton/Collinsville. Here is a quote on the marker: "In grateful memory of the men who died in the service of their country and in recognition to all men and women who served that freedom might live, this monument stands so that future generations will always remember."

When driving on Rte. 179 in Collinsville, you might glimpse a huge gun by the side of the road…read morefacing North. No, it's not an old-fashioned GPS, but a World War One carriage gun that shares a small Town Green with a Veterans Memorial and a flagpole. The monument is shaped in a "V" and lists the names of Canton's veterans who perished in World War One (5 names), World War Two (16 names), the Korean War (2 names), and the Viet Nam War (2 names). There is an American flag inscribed at the top left corner of the "V". An inscription on the left side reads: In grateful memory of the men who died in the service of their country and in recognition to all men and women who served that freedom might live this monument stands so that future generations may always remember. A flagpole with the American flag and Vietnam MIA flag share the site with the gun and monument