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.

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.

Anyone who grew up in Connecticut heard the story of Charter Oak - when those mean British tried to…read moretake the Connecticut charter, the colonists were about to hand it over when suddenly, the lights went out! In the ensuing melee, the sacred charter was spirited out the window and hidden in a Hartford oak tree. Then the teacher glosses over the fact this was symbolic at best, and Connecticut was as much a part of the American revolution as the other colonies, and yadda yadda yadda the oak tree went on to sire heirs. This tree is one of them. On the Cornwall green, across from town hall, is an unassuming tree and a plaque. May it have many happy additional years overseeing the modest amount of traffic in the area.

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

This is the site of the first school in Torrington, CT. The site is located at the intersection of…read moreAllen Rd and Lovers Lane. When visiting, pull onto Allen Rd. There is more room, and on Lovers Lane it's easy to block the stop sign and line of vision. The landmark is one rock, with the text: FIRST SCHOOL Sight of Torrington's First School House Built in 1741 There is also an image of a school house in the upper middle. The best times to visit are fall and winter; the surrounding grass gets very high in the spring and summer, and increases one's tick exposure.

This is one of those state signs in every town, village, and "used to have people living here"…read moreplace in Connecticut. Winchester Center is closest to the la as t of those categories. It's very pretty, and people do live there, but if you need a bottle of milk you're driving at least 20 minutes. Anyway, it does warrant itself a sign from the state, titled "Winchester Center, 'The Old Society'" and reads: The first ecclesiastical society of Winchester was incorporated by the central assembly of the colony of Connecticut at its May session, 1768. The following year, a small, low, steeple-roofed building was erected for a meeting house about 7/10 of a mile south of the present Winchester Center Green;a rough granite post marks the site. The first census of the colony, taken in 1756, has 24 as the population of the entire town of Winchester. The next census, taken in 1774, shows 327 whites, 12 blacks. The Congregational Church was formed October 30, 1771, with 14 members. Only five years after the erection of the first house of worship, a committee was sent from the county court at Litchfield "to pitch the stakes" for a meeting house at the 'center'. On October 11, 1785, Dr. Josiah Everett deeded to the society for the sum of 1 £, 16s and 3d "lawful money" for a certain piece of land containing 56 1/2 rods "to build a meeting house on for divine worship, and for a suitable green around the same." In 1786 a new edifice was erected on this Green. The whipping post and stocks, those indispensable pillars of New England law and order, stood nearby on the green. The post served also for the posting of public notices. The third church, Greek revival with a Doric portico and facade of matched boards, was erected in 1841. Just north of the green, land was provided by 'Squire' Issac Bronson; with the stipulation that no building was ever again to be erected on the green. Our father's built shelter for their families and stock, then the church of God, then the school house. The early records of the town do not contain any accounts of building the first public schoolhouse. However, there is no doubt such buildings were erected. The 'chapel', across Winchester road from the church, began its existence as 'the Academy' finances by a group of investors "who purchased rights payable in higher education for their children." The Winchester institute (which stood some 700 north of the center green) a commodious seminary building opened in 1858 as a boarding and day school. It was the seat of learning for such great men as Dr. Fredrick S. Dennis and Dr. William H Welch (the latter discovered "ether"); after use as a seminary it became The Hill View Inn (destroyed by fire in 1929). The center had at one time two country stores, the Bronson Bros at the north side of the Green and S&L Hurlbut on Newfield Road. The latter building was acquired in 1895 by the Winchester Grange. Fire destroyed it in 1951 and the present grange hall was its replacement. The Winchester Center cemetery, acquired Mar. 16 1773 and the Hurlbut family cemetery are on South road, about a mile south east. The Danbury Courier cemetery is on Benedict road part of the original Winchester Center Settlement. You can park across from the sign near the Grange hall, and dash across and see it. The sign itself is on a small triangle of land, and you'll undoubtedly be in the way of cars if you try to park there.

This landmark is a callback to a time where Goshen once had enough people to support a church NOT…read morelocated in the center of town. People actually gathered in what is now rather isolated for worship. The inscription on the rock reads: This Doorstep Erected In Memory Of The Original Subscribers Of North Goshen M.E. Church Which Stood Here 1840 --- 1923 It is a pretty drive to see this landmark, particularly in the fall. The grass can get pretty long so any other time of year be mindful of ticks!

This marker sits on the side of the road, a little bit down from Klug Hill Farm. It's located on…read morethe same side of the road. The text reads: Near this site stood the first meeting house in the town of Torrington erected in 1746. First congregational church organized Oct. 21, 1741. The road is pretty wide by the marker, but cars can sneak up on you so blinkers on and look both ways. If you go during spring/summer/fall and the farm stand is open, that's definitely an added bonus stop!