The Apple Map app did not direct us correctly. We were unable to find this landmark and didn't have…read moretime to explore. This is where we ended up. Beautiful, but no statue or memorial to be seen. Be sure to check your directions.

It's not every day that you see a park fountain with three fish spitting water out of their little…read morefish mouths. But I saw that and more yesterday at this very cool landmark in Norfolk. If you look carefully at the Joseph Battell Fountain, you'll also see a stream of water exiting from a lion's mouth, basins, benches and a sundial. Located on a village green where Routes 272 and 44 intersect, this fountain was built in 1889 as a tribute to Joseph Battell. He was a local businessman known for his support of local charitable and civic causes. It's made out of pink stone with a central round column topped by a sphere and those water spewing fish. Basins or troughs near the ground were designed to water horses. The center column is inscribed with the words: In Memory of Joseph Battell Born in Norfolk 1806 Died in New York in 1874.

Here's a tiny spot in one of the rural corners of Connecticut, but a fun spot to poke around…read more Seeing the images of Beckley Furnace, then and now, are astoundingly different! It's a place you can get up close to the past, but also a peaceful spot to view the river and furnace locks, I especially recommend being here in autumn, watching sycamore leaves float down the river. Parking by the furnace isn't huge, but additional parking is just over the small bridge. There is plenty of interpretive signage to guide you, and ample picnic space to enjoy, but no facilities. We didn't even see a port-o-let. All the same, enjoy your drive and short hike!

I wouldn't exactly call this a destination sort of park, it's a landmark/monument with a little…read moreparkette along Lower Road in East Canaan. IIt's mainly of interest if you're interested in the history of the area, but something you could combine with visiting nearby Haystack Mountain Park. Still, it's well maintained and has a nice parking area, with a number of highly informative signs around the area, leading you on a short walk from the furnace over to the dam where the piping for the steam turbine is still somewhat in place. There's a few picnic tables as well, if you're in the mood for a picnic. Altogether a nice little pleasant stop on the road.

This historical landmark is wear roaming animals used to be locked up and held until their owners…read morewould claim them. Yes gentle traveler, there used to be people in Goshen to have these animals instead of trees and the occasional coyote (which have been seen on this road so if you're visiting, look around periodically). The landmark is currently a square fence about two rocks high and a marking sign. Parking would be on the side of the road, and the grounds do not appear to be haunted by any forgotten cows or chickens. A bit difficult to traverse in the snow... In sneakers... So it's maybe more appropriate for a spring outing.

A fine sign! Clean, looks to be reasonably freshly painted, and adjacent to a parking lot. The town…read moresign is in front of Bethlehem's town hall, perhaps familiar to those who go to the Christmas fair. There is parking (as noted) a small playground off to the left, a memorial bench for those who want to sit and... sign watch, perhaps? It's also connected via parking lot to the Bethlehem library. For those with dogs, mine felt this was a wonderful sniffing opportunity, as he is less impressed with reading about history then I am.

Ever wonder where wagons, straw hats, and bonnets were manufactured in the 1700's? How about…read moreBethlehem, CT! I thought this two-sided marker was pretty interesting to read. Lots of information on the area's Indian history, colonial land sale to the European settlers, the military service of the early settlers (all the way back to the French and Indian War), and the area's industrial heritage. This is a two-sided marker from the CT Historical Commission in the familiar white lettering on a blue background. There are different inscriptions on both sides. The marker is in pretty good condition with extremely minor evidence of early peeling and chipping of the blue background paint. The white lettering is crisp and undamaged. The full inscription reads: The spring session of the 1703 General Assembly granted to the town of Woodbury the right to enlarge its bounds. Negotiations with the Indian inhabitants were successfully concluded and in 1710 a deed of sale, signed by Nunawague and five other chiefs, conveyed to Woodbury nearly eighteen thousand acres, known thereafter as the North Purchase. This included the present town of Bethlehem and parts of the later Judea, now Washington. Surveyed in 1723 and, after proprietors were granted their rights, divided into lots, it was opened for sale. Pioneers arrived in 1734, settling on the heights northeast of the present center. In 1738 young Joseph Bellamy was called to preach during "winter privileges". Separate "society privileges" were granted in October, 1739. Bellamy was requested to continue as pastor, and so remained until his death in 1790, as the settlers established their own Bethlem Church and school. Doctor Bellamy became a most distinguished author, preacher and teacher, conducting the first theological school in America. Young men lived in the Bellamy home while he grounded them in his brand of scriptural interpretation and preaching methods. Among future leaders who studied there were Aaron Burr, Jonathan Edwards II, and James Morris. Bethlem men served in the French and Indian and all subsequent wars. Numerous are the captains and lieutenants buried in the Old Cemetery. Bethlem was incorporated as a separate town in 1787. Mainly a farming community until the 1900s, it had sufficient water power for 18th Century industries - fulling mills, cotton mill, woolen mill, wagon factory, straw hat and bonnet factory and miscellaneous manufactories of leather goods. Erected 1976 by Town of Bethlehem, The Old Historical Bethlehem Society, Inc., Connecticut Historical Commission.

Driving through the pretty countryside in Barkhamsted, I came across quite an unusual site - a…read morelarge metal bell sitting on top of two imposing stone pillars. The monument sits between two huge flagpoles, almost giving it the appearance of sitting inside a set of football goalposts. The bell is located on a green at the intersection of Pleasant Valley Road (Connecticut Route 318) and Beach Rock Road, adjacent to the Barkhamsted Center Cemetery. So here's the history of the bell. It's old - like 1834 old. It's from an old Barkhamsted Church named the Universalist Church. It was in the part of town known as Barkhamsted Hollow, so the Church was also known as the Hollow Church. Because the area was prone to floods, the immediate area was redesigned by the MDC in the late 1930's as many houses, farms, and that very Church were razed to build the Saville Dam in 1940. The Dam was meant to keep the nearby Farmington River in check and created the huge Barkhamsted Reservoir. The stone pillars contain two inscribed plaques that read: This bell hung in the Hollow Church which was relocated during construction of the Compensating Reservoir. It was cast in Hartford, CT in 1834. Dedicated 1997 These boulders were provided by the generosity of the Metropolitan District Commission. There were part of the Saville Dam spillway and washed out in the 1955 flood. It's quite the cool landmark, Reminds me of an old Chuck Berry song about some guy........"who never ever learned to read or write so well, but he could play the guitar like ringing a bell...."

So my dog and I decided to take a nice socially distanced walk in Cornwall, and see this lovely…read moresign while there. Right now, being between two blizzards, it's really hard to get to the back of the sign, but the front is readily accessible from the cleared sidewalk. Interestingly, the Town Hall still has Christmas decoration up in the windows. You can literally hear cows mooing in the distance, that's how peaceful and country this sign is.

This is the 140th historical marker I photographed and wrote about. But it's the very first time…read morethat what I read and what I'm writing includes the word "Obookiah". That's a "who?" and not a "what?", because the O Man was a Hawaiian student at Cornwall's Foreign Mission School two hundred years ago. That's one of the historical nuggets you'll read about on this marker. It's a two-sided marker from the CT Historical Commission with the familiar white lettering on a blue background. Its located on the front lawn at Town Hall on Pine Street. The sign dates to 1975, and its condition shows some signs of wear and tear -staining, fading, and peeling. Obookiah would be sad to see that. The full inscription reads: This area was once part of the Western Lands ordered surveyed by the Legislature in 1731. Yale Lands were surveyed and three hundred acres were set aside for income for Yale College in 1732. At an auction in Fairfield in 1738 the town was sold in fifty shares, named Cornwall, and incorporated in 1740. After the church "gathered" in 1740 schools began to open. In time there were seventeen school districts. The Foreign Mission School in 1817 numbered among the students an Hawaiian, Obookiah, who links Cornwall eternally to Hawaii. An agricultural school was started in 1849. More than ten private schools have educated youth through the years. Farming was the earliest industry. The Cornwall Iron Company, founded in 1833, increased prosperity and growth. Products found new markets with the advent of the Housatonic Railroad in 1842. Ira Allen, the Vermont statesman, was born here. A Civil War general, John Sedgwick, is remembered by a monument. Mark Van Doren, poet-teacher, enriched many lives from his Cornwall home. State Landmarks: Cornwall Bridge Railroad Station, West Cornwall Covered Bridge. Erected by the Town of Cornwall The American Revolution Bicentennial Committee of Cornwall and the Connecticut Historical Commission 1975

The Canton historical marker is located on a small green space between Dowd Ave. And Albany…read moreTurnpike in Canton. There's a beautiful gazebo with lovely landscaping around it and a picnic table. There's a handful of parking spots; during business hours, it is always full. I drive by this spot daily and finally stopped by. The historical marker is in good condition; it looks like it was painted within the last couple of years. There is a bench, flag pole, and a Welcome to Canton sign. Overall, a cute little spot; albeit, a random spot.

This is a lovely marker. It may have been retouched since it's last review, paint looks pretty…read morereasonable. It's located on a little triangle of land off route 202, and I would recommend looking for a way to access the back roads to get there. I'm unclear on the parking situation - the triangular patch has a gazebo, where one can.... Sit, and admire the sign (to each their own), but all the surrounding parking seems to be attached to shops. I parked on the side of the road on the grass to see the Canton sign, but I'm not sure that's a solution for a prolonged engagement. So ultimately, as a result of my trip, nice sign, but I'm really curious about the gazebo, why it was built, and how anyone may use it.

OK, so I'm reading this marker trying to decide what nuggets I'll mine for my post, and I'm finding…read morea lot of religious history, which is a sure way to put people asleep. And then, I see the phrase "PINEAPPLE CHEESE". WTF??? So I do some research and learn that pineapple flavored cheese wasn't made in Goshen, but pineapple SHAPED cheese sure was. Way back in 1809 a Goshen native by the name of Lewis Norton patented a process to manufacture blocks of cheese into pineapple shapes. They became quite the rage and made a popular housewarming gift. He used a pineapple mold, and then hung the cheese in nets, so the netting gave the cheese the look of a pineapple rind. Yankee ingenuity indeed! Located on a patch of lawn near Goshen Town Hall, this is a two-sided marker from the CT Historical Commission in the familiar white lettering on a blue background. It dates to 1975 and is in very good condition. The full inscription reads: Goshen The town was settled in 1738 and incorporated in 1739. Many of the early residents came from Wallingford and Farmington. The Congregational Church was founded in 1740. An Episcopal society existed prior to 1776. During the 1800's a Methodist society flourished, with churches in North and West Goshen. The Catholic Church was established during this period. The most recent addition to Goshen is the Mormon Church. Early Goshen was a prosperous business and farming community. Gristmills, sawmills, tanneries, and blacksmith shops grew with the town. During the Revolutionary War a factory manufactured muskets. Two of the more noted businesses were the pineapple cheese factory and the Brooks pottery shop. Clock factories and a carriage shop also existed in Goshen. [ back ] The community was a leader in education. The first school was built in 1753 and by 1850 ten schools and districts had been formed. A seminary for young women was established in 1819. The Goshen Academy was created in 1823 for advanced study. The Academy gained prominence as a preparatory school during the 1800's. Exhibits, collections, records, and articles made or used by the people of Goshen, and preserved by the Historical Society in the Academy building, provide knowledge of the past. Erected by the Town of Goshen The Goshen American Revolution Bicentennial Commission and the Connecticut Historical Commission 1975

So how to judge a historical marker? All towns and subtowns have blue signs like this in…read moreConnecticut, giving a brief history of the area. Well this one is in the middle of nowhere, so a plus in the time of Covid. It is accessible to the town hall parking lot, or the primary school lot (which is attached to town hall). You can meander over to read after viewing the Memorial Day parade or visiting the seasonal farmers market. The only downside.... See the fact it's in the middle of nowhere.