Lady Liberty stands tall, proud, and triumphant where Routes 41 and 44 converge…read more. She holds the US Shield over her head as she honors and pays tribute to the hundreds of Salisbury soldiers who served in the Civil War. This is an absolutely gorgeous monument that will take your breath away. It's beautiful! Start with the 7 foot tall female figure wearing a cap and a flowing robe. But if you look at her feet you'll see she is standing on top of broken shackles, and I suspect we all know what that represents. There are many plaques and engravings on the stone base below the statue and in several metal plaques. There are hundreds of names listed, plus the names of their regiments, as well as many of the major battles of the war. The monument was dedicated in 1891 and the statue itself remains in great condition. Sadly, the metal plaques are showing the effects of time, and are streaked, soiled, and weathered. Here are some of the many engravings I saw: To Her Loyal Sons Sadly the metal Who Fought for The Union, Salisbury Erects this Memorial. 1891 Cold Harbor Olustee Port Hudson Winchester Gettysburg Drewry's Bluff Antietam Petersburg 2nd Conn. Vol's 1st Conn. Heavy Art 2nd Conn. Heavy Art 5th Conn. Vo'ls 6th Conn. Vo'ls 7th Conn. Vo'ls 8th Conn. Vo'ls. 10th Conn. Vo'ls. 11th Conn. Vo'ls. 12th Conn. Vo'ls 13th Conn. Vo'ls 14th Conn. Vo'ls. 22nd Conn. Vo'ls. 23rd Conn. Vo'ls. 28th Conn. Vo'ls.

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.

Some of the early settlers of Norfolk worked in the mills. Some were farmers and blacksmiths…read more But in, April of 1775, they became American patriots and soldiers as they marched 136 miles to Boston to take up arms against the British. By the time of independence, over 150 of Norfolk's men had fought in the Revolutionary War. Located on a village green where Routes 272 and 44 intersect, 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: Norfolk In the heart of the Green Woods on what was later the Hartford-Albany Turnpike, Norfolk was settled in 1744 by Cornelius Brown of Windsor. The town was incorporated in 1758 with forty-four voters at the first town meeting. A meeting house was built, and in 1761 the Reverend Ammi R. Robbins became the first minister, serving for fifty-two years. Twenty-four men from Norfolk marched to aid Boston in April, 1775, and over one hundred and fifty fought in the Revolutionary War. The early settlers were farmers, erecting sawmills, gristmills, and blacksmithies for their own needs. Using the waterpower of the Blackberry River, the town became industrial in the 1800's, manufacturing such diverse products as linseed oil, men's hats, woolens, cheese boxes, scythes and hoes. In the later 19th century industry declined, but the coming of the Connecticut Western Railroad in 1871, together with Norfolk's natural beauty contributed to the growth of a thriving summer colony. Largely through the efforts of the Battell and Eldridge families, Norfolk has been a center of culture since the establishment of the Norfolk Library in 1888 and the Litchfield County Choral Union in 1899. The Stoeckel Estate and its famous Music Shed, often visited by many of the world's greatest musical artists, is now the home of the Yale Summer School of Music and Art. Erected by the Town of Norfolk the Norfolk Historic District Commission and the Connecticut Historical Commission 1975

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.

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

There is a sign (A wooden sign)…read more The sign tells the story of Washington D(epot) The sons of old And the wars it saw To you and me no big deal, but the sign It tells a lot! I know that's not poetry, but please enjoy my sign art. The town sign is in fairly good condition, legible, and you don't see the signs lay out certain distinguished (male) citizens. Its located on the green in front of Town Hall, in front of several parallel parking spots. There is a mailbox and voting mailbox located around the same town hall green.

Washington is a very small town in rural eastern Connecticut and it got the name from a certain…read morefamous Continental Army general who passed through here a number of times during the Revolutionary War. This marker is on the grounds of the town hall and is in decent condition. On the front it reads, "This township includes the villages of Woodville, New Preston, Marbledale, Washington, and Washington Depot. The eastern section, first settled by Joseph Hurlbut in 1734, was known as the Parish of Judea and belonged to Woodbury. The western section, first settled in 1741, was called the Parish of New Preston and belonged to New Milford. The present town was incorporated in 1779, being named in honor of General George Washington, who traveled through this area several times during his wartime journeys and breakfasted with his staff at Squire Cogswell's tavern in New Preston on Friday, May 25, 1781. For many years Washington was principally a farming community. Among early local industries were ironworks and quarries run by waterpower along the Shepaug and Aspetuck Rivers. The local economy now consists of small retail outlets and a few remaining farms. Several well-established private schools are also a vital part of the community." On the reverse, it lists several distinguished sons. Major William Cogswell. 1734-1786. In command under General Washington in retreat from Long Island during Revolutionary War. Moderator of first town meeting in Washington (1779). First Selectman. Elected eight times to represent the town in General Assembly of Connecticut. Daniel N. Brinsmade. 1751-1826. Lawyer. Member of Hartford convention ratifying Constitution of the United States (1788). Ephraim Kirby. 1757-1804. Served in American Revolution and in Connecticut Legislature. Published first fully developed volume of law reports in this country. Horace Bushnell. 1802-1876. Lawyer, noted preacher and writer. Ordained pastor of North Church of Hartford (1833). Later selected site of future University of California. Frederick W. Gunn. 1816-1881. Founder and master of The Gunnery school. [And the local library is named after him https://www.yelp.com/biz/gunn-memorial-library-washington?hrid=uWJIVSKT9yIIlScsK5JD6Q.] Gideon H. Hollister. 1817-1881. Lawyer, historian, state senator. Minister to Haiti (1868). Orville H. Platt. 1827-1905. Studied law under Gideon Hollister. Served as Secretary of the State, in State Senate, as State's Attorney. United States Senator from Connecticut (1879-1905). Author of Platt Amendment incorporated into constitution of Cuba (1901). William Hamilton Gibson. 1850-1896. Artist, naturalist, author, lecturer. Major General Benjamin D. Foulois. 1879-1967. Made first military airplane flight, Fort Sam Houston, Texas (1910). Chief of United States Army Air Corps (1931-1935). "Last of the First to Fly" (on his cemetery monument)." The marker was erected in 1982 by the Town of Washington and the Connecticut Historical Commission. The Town Hall has plenty of parking nearby and even an EV charger https://www.yelp.com/biz/juice-bar-washington?hrid=mkPtiHKxoONaAEZ_pF4UFw. [Review 18401 overall - 67 in Connecticut - 1923 of 2022.]

If you've ever seen the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C., did you notice his hands? One hand is…read moreclenched in a fist, while the other is open and outstretched, resting leisurely on the arm of his chair. As a kid, I remember hearing that it showed Lincoln's tough and compassionate sides. This spectacular monument honors two subjects. The first is one of our country's most iconic figures, and the second was to the New Milford soldiers that served in the Civil War. The monument was dedicated in 1912 and was the gift of Captain Edward Marsh of the Second Connecticut Volunteers Heavy Artillery. The memorial consists of a four sided base decorated with two plaques and two sculpted panels. The base is topped with a bust of the President's head and shoulders. One of the featured plaques reads "In Loving Memory of the Soldiers and Sailors of the Union Army and Navy 1861 1865, and of Abraham Lincoln President of the United States. Besides being in many skirmishes the New Milford troops were engaged in the battles of Gettysburg, Cold Harbor, Petersburg, Opeqvan. Fisher's Hill, Cedar Creek, Sailors Creek". You'll also see two sculpted panels of a soldiers raising a flag and blowing a bugle, and a large oval plaque inscribed with the Gettysburg Address. That eloquent speech ends with this phrase "we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain--that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom--and that government: of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."

The majority of the building and the services it provides are, of course, for fire and rescue…read moreservices, which I've supported for decades. This new and significantly improved firehouse was built in 2015 and is a much more modern facility. There is a meeting room on site which is used primarily for their own meetings and training, but it also serves as the site for 3 of my ward's voting districts.