Located to the right of the Bloomfield Fire Department's District Offices main entrance at 18…read moreWintonbury Avenue sits a very cool sight- an old fire bell mounted in a bright red metal yoke. The bell can be rung by turning a wheel next to the yoke. It's located in a pretty flowered and landscaped area between the main driveway and the office building . The bell is inscribed: CLINTON H. MENEEELY BELL COMPANY TROY, N.Y. U.S.A. A.D. 1888. Another example of how history can be found on just about any street in any town in our state !

If you're downtown in the vicinity of the Wadsworth Atheneum, you'd be excused if you did a…read moredouble-take upon seeing this very cool orange-red abstract statue of a stegosaurus. It sure does grab your attention. It sits in a courtyard between office buildings, and man oh man - is it huge ! It's a whopping 32 feet tall and has a footprint measurement of 50 feet by 32 feet. It's 40 tons of steel -a crazily creative work consisting of forty-five arced steel plates bolted in the shape of a stegosaurus. And that color ! Super bright red-orange that commands your respect. It was dedicated in 1973 as a tribute to Alfred E. Burr, the founder of the Hartford Times newspaper.

This sculpture sits on the grounds of the Wadsworth Atheneum, and it's the best work of art that…read moreAlexander Calder made.

You gotta love a statue of a swashbuckling dude brandishing a sword, right?…read more Say hello to Thomas Knowlton and the rather impressive statue in his honor on the lawn at the State Capitol. In 1740, Knowlton was born in West Boxford, MA and moved to Ashford, CT as a child. As a boy, he served in the French and Indian War. He served in the Revolutionary War as a scout and eventually rose to the rank of Colonel -leading a group known as Knowlton's Rangers. He was in charge of 200 Connecticut soldiers at the Battle of Bunker Hill, and was killed at the Battle of Harlem Heights on September 16, 1776. There is a plaque on the base of the statue with this inscription: In Memory Of Col. Thomas Knowlton Of Ashford Conn. Who as a boy served in several campaigns in the French and Indian Wars Shared in the siege and capture of Havana in 1762 Was in immediate command of Connecticut troops at the Battle of Bunker Hill Was with his commands closely attached to the person of Washington And was killed at the Battle of Harlem Heights September 16 1776 At the age of thirty-six The monument was dedicated on November 13, 1895. It's a perfect example of why I love to review these sorts of monuments -it's a great combination of a spectacular piece of art and a great human story of heroism and patriotism.

Union Park which is also known as South Green Municipal Park, is located in the City of Middletown…read moreand has a historical monument on the property. The historical monument is a Soldier's Monument that was dedicate in 1874. Per the City's website, there is electricity and it's ADA accessible since it's a special events area. There's a beautiful gazebo in the park. I didn't see a listing for this gazebo and park so I created it. The gazebo is very nice and quintessentially New England, think Gilmore Girls. When I went with my family, it was decorated with Christmas lights. There was a navy blue historical marker telling a brief history of how the City of Middletown came to be. Based on the sign, it's a very historic area with a story to tell. Overall, a nice spot to stop by if you're exploring the city like we were.

Located in the southwest corner of the Village Cemetery and close to the road, this 24-foot-tall…read moremonument honors the soldiers and sailors from New Hartford who fought for the Union during the Civil War. The dedication reads, "Erected 1892 to the memory of New Hartford soldiers and sailors who served in the War of the Rebellion, 1861 1865." and above it is a medallion representing the Grand Army of the Republic. On the other side, a corroded bronze plaque lists the different units and soldiers who are honored here. The figure atop the monument stands, facing south, with a rifle supported by his hands. He is wearing a union uniform including cap and cloak with a winning moustache and van dyke beard. It's interesting that the rifle butt extends over the edge of the top. I've not spotted that on such monuments before. [Review 18406 overall - 72 in Connecticut - 1928 of 2022.]

As you head downtown, you may notice this statue in the small traffic triangle where Farmington…read moreAvenue, Asylum Street and Broad Street all meet. Have you ever noticed that Broad Street changes its name to Cogswell Street when it heads north past Asylum? Here is why. The statue is a 9' high bronze statue of Alice Cogswell, the first student at the American School for the Deaf. The school was founded in 1817, and was originally located on Asylum Street in Hartford before it was relocated to West Hartford. The ASD was America's first school for the deaf. One of the school's founders, Mason Fitch Cogswell, was Alice's father. An inscription at the base of the statue reads: COMMEMORATING THE FOUNDERS OF THE AMERICAN SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF AMERICA'S PIONEER INSTITUTION FOR THE HANDICAPPED AT HARTFORD APRIL 15, 1817 THOMAS HOPKINS GALLAUDET MASON FITCH COGSWELL LAURENT CLERC DEDICATED BY THE NEW ENGLAND GALLAUDET ASSOCIATION OF THE DEAF TO EXPRESS THE GRATITUDE OF THE DEAF OF THE NATION APRIL 15, 1953 It's a dignified, well maintained statue of a serious looking young girl holding a book to her chest. She is standing inside a huge outstretched hand!

Thanks to Dan R. for posting these beautiful statue of our first deaf student a the American School…read morefor the Deaf in 1817. A Deaf Community raised money to have this statue made and erected.

The City of Torrington is located in Litchfield County and has approximately 35,000 residents; the…read morelargest city in the county. The downtown area is urban and the outskirt area is suburban. There are many businesses and retail shops. They have plazas that has Walmart, McDonald's, and various of other businesses; there is another one with a Target. A few of the notable businesses are located in downtown, Warner Theater, Nutmeg Conservatory for the Arts, Kids Play Museum, and Charlotte Hungerford Hospital. This a small city with small town vibes. On my most recent visit, I went to the annual Strawberry Festival located at Memorial Coe Park. Memorial Coe Park was a nicely maintained park with beautiful landscaping and memorials. Burr Pond Park is another popular park; very clean, large, and beautiful place. My family and I enjoyed walking around downtown; there were many historic buildings; the bank, city hall, and various homes. The town looked clean and well-kempt. Parking downtown is metered and on-street. Since it's one of the more populated cities in the area, traffic can be a little heavy. Compared to neighboring towns, I would rate this as an average city. It does have all you need if you don't want to leave the bubble.

Back in the day, Torrington must have been amazing. It's a forme Connecticut factory town socked by…read morethe flood of 55 and industry growth. It's said people used to leave their houses, lunch pail in hand, all at the same time, and switch shifts in equal unison. You can tell by some of the older buildings on Main Street they were built to be beautiful. Even Clocktower Plaza has hidden basement floors in JoAnns and TX Maxx that used to be showrooms. Now it's a lot of traffic lights, wine stores, and pizza restaurants. It's got a lot of spirit and hosts some nice annual events like their Strawberry Festival and Watermelon festival. It's also in love with metered parking, and makes it hard to justify going downtown for the added expense. It does have your Target and Walmart "up the hill" (so many traffic lights), and a good representation of fast food. I find it's best to know what you're going on for before going to Torrington, because you're not going to see much stopped at a light!

The Patriots of Windsor memorial is on the Village Green set just behind Broad Street…read more It's directly across from the library and is easily visible from Broad Street. The statue is a large bronze eagle with outstretched wings, set on a stone base. It bears a rather short inscription, "To The Patriots Of Windsor". It was sculpted by Evelyn Beatrice Longman and was dedicated on November 3, 1929. It's listed in the National Register of Historic Places.