The Roseland Cottage is truly a beautiful historical gem in CT! I recently took a tour of the house…read moreand it was super interesting. Though the grounds are always open to visitors, guided tours of the house are only available June through mid-October, Thursday-Sunday from 11AM-3PM, every hour on the hour. Timed tickets can be purchased online in advance (and this is recommended). Adult admission is $20. Once I arrived, I was greeted by staff who were very friendly. The tour guide, MaryLou, took me through the house and explained the history of Henry Bowen (the original resident of the house) and his family. She was extremely knowledgeable and it was very interesting! The tour was supposed to last around an hour, but she went for about an hour and 15 minutes. After the tour you are free to roam the grounds and take photos, and there's also a small gift shop. Non-flash photography is allowed inside the house, but no video. Overall I found this to be a really beautiful historical spot in Woodstock, CT and would definitely recommend taking a tour!

My husband and I had our wedding here, the place was absolutely beautiful and that is the only…read morething that made the venue worth it. Laurie the women who handles Roseland cottage, on the other hand ended up being a bit difficult as our wedding got closer and closer. Sadly on the rehearsal day and wedding day she was rude and did things that we did not agree upon or said she wasn't going to do. She made herself seem understanding up until those days. She gave me sass remarks and honestly made the rehearsal day and wedding day more stressful. The only thing that made it worth it, like I said, was the beautiful venue. But Laurie in the end did make things feel way more stressful and difficult. Our catering was wonderful though, I could not have asked to better catering. They handled Laurie and everything else with class. Thank you renees Bistro.

OK, so I'm a cottonheadedninnymuggins. We love covered bridges. We've visited them in NH, VT, IA…read moreand more, and it actually never occurred to us to look in RI for any! Luckily, taking an 'avoid highways' trip we passed the sign in Foster pointing the way to this bridge and since then we have found out there are several, easily accessible, covered bridges in state. Although none of them are the original structures, they are still works of craftmanship and remind of times past. This bridge is just out of sight of the main road. At the time of our visit the roads had been stripped down to dirt and there seemed to be some excavating work going on. Not sure how long it's been like that or how long it will last, but it did not look like a 'new' occurrance. It spans a small creek, at when we visited in the summer it was surrounded by lush greenery making any path to the water impassable. There is a home right next to the bridge and aside from lurkers like us, looks like an idyllic spot for a home. Just before the bridge there is a spot to pull off the road while you take your photos and get a closer look. The road is in use as we had a couple of vehicles pass us while we were exploring the bridge. We did not have enough to turn around an followed the GPS back to the main road we had just come off, further up the route. If you enjoy exploring covered bridges, this is a quick stop along your route and a lovely photo op.

Covered bridge in Foster, RI. Perfect to view during Fall if you want to see beautiful fall…read morefoliage. I came here today and missed peak foliage by about a week! Most of the trees surrounding the bridge no longer had any leaves. However, the drive to the covered bridge was perfect! There were a ton of beautiful trees near the water, Barden Reservoir. I suggest stopping by the water because the views are beautiful! (About ten minutes before the bridge.) Although I was a bit disappointed when I got to the bridge due to lack of fall foliage, the drive more than made up for it--very peaceful with great views.

In 1718, 22-year old Israel Putnam moved from MA to CT to be a farmer. He ended up in the military…read moreand served with distinction during the French and Indian War, rising to the rank of captain, and then major. But his greatest glory lay ahead. When British bullets killed Massachusetts colonists at Lexington and Concord, legend has it that Putnam became so enraged that he abandoned his plow in the field, jumped on his horse, and rode 100 miles to Boston to join the Revolution. He rose to the rank of Major General and led his troops in the Battle of Bunker Hill (where legend also has it that he uttered the immortal words "Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes") and the Battle of Long Island. This fabulous monument has an 8 foot tall bronze statue of General Israel Putnam on his horse. The statue is mounted on s 20-foot tall granite base. It was dedicated on June 14, 1888 and it marks Putnam's grave. Check out the detail of Putnam's Revolutionary War uniform. You'll see boots, a tri-cornered hat, knee britches, and a coat with fancy epaulets. Of course he has a sword dangling from his belt. One interesting detail I saw on the base was a wolf head. Supposedly, as a boy Putnam crawled into a wolf cave and killed a wolf! Plaques on the base are inscribed as follows: Sacred be this Monument to the memory of ISRAEL PUTNAM, Esq. Senior Major General in the Armies of the United States of America, who was born in Salem, in the Province of Massachusetts on the 7th day of January, A.S. 1718 and died on the 29th of May A.D. 1790 Passenger, if thou art a soldier, drop a tear over the dust of a Hero, who ever attentive to the lives and happiness of his men dared to lead where any dared to follow. If a Patriot, remember the distinguished and gallant services rendered thy country by the Patriot who sleeps beneath this marble; if thou art honest, generous and worthy, render a cheerful tribute of respect to a man whose generosity was singular, whose honesty was proverbial; who raised himself to universal esteem and offices of eminent distinction by personal worth and a useful life.

Outstanding opening with live artillery (Brown's Company) and flint-lock firings. This was all I…read moreaddition to some great docent work within the museum itself!! Please do not miss this gem of history moments from Route 395!

A MOST excellent tour today, Filled with fun facts, entertaining banter and our family…read morehistory--This Family of America was born here-- where our government developed, was fought for and ever evolving from--straight up from the floor boards....I enjoyed walking where Washington walked, -wondering whose DNA might still be on me right now---I remain amazed !!! Thank you--Cam and Greg for saving this treasure trove of American History!

The Town's namesake was General Israel Putnam. He lived quite an epic life. As a young man he…read morecrawled into a wolf den and killed a wolf, during the French and Indian War he was almost burned at the stake by Indians, he survived a shipwreck, and he was a hero at the Battle of Bunker Hill. This is a 2-sided marker from the CT Historical Commission in the familiar white lettering on a blue background. The same text appears on both sides. It's located in a very pretty landscaped section of Putnam Rotary Park overlooking a pond, which seems bizarre when you consider the deplorable condition of the marker itself - peeling paint, fading, streaking...you name it and its happening here. The marker was dedicated in 1975. It deserves to be in far better condition.

I have to agree that the marker itself is in bad shape. But the landscaping and location in Rotary…read morePark around it is pretty good. The marker itself is on a little hill overlooking the Quinebaug River and one of the simple highlights of the River Walk.

It's 126 years old…read more It has a cannon. It has a 6 foot tall statue on a 24 foot tall base. It has 162 names inscribed on it. In front of the post office in Brooklyn, CT you'll find the very impressive Soldiers and Sailors Monument that honors the town's citizens that served in the Civil War. It was dedicated way back in 1888. The statue on top of the granite base is made out of bronze and it depicts a uniformed Union soldier. He is holding his rifle by its barrel. Check out his uniform - a cape, a long overcoat, and a cap. He has a bayonet hanging from his belt, and he is sporting one very impressive mustache. There all sorts of inscriptions on the base, such as the seal of the State of Connecticut, a sculpted panels of an anchor and crossed canons, and the names of Civil War battles (ANTIETAM, GETTYSBURG, COLD HARBOR, NEW BERN, WINCHESTER, DREWRY'S BLUFF, PETERSBURG, CEDAR CREEK). Then there the names of the soldiers - a plaque with four neat columns of 162 names. Imagine that, 162 Civil War soldiers from this tiny little town. The main inscription reads: ERECTED TO THE MEMORY OF ALL THE BRAVE MEN OF BROOKLYN WHO FOUGHT ON LAND OR SEA FOR THE PRESERVATION OF THE UNION Another inscription reads: PRESENTED TO THE TOWN OF BROOKLYN BY THOMAS S. MARLOR

His exploits remind me of a comic book super hero…read more In childhood he crawled into a wolf den to kill a wolf. He was minutes away from being burned at the stake by Indians. He was farming at his CT home when he heard of the killings at Lexington and Concord. So what did he do? He abandoned his plow, jumped on his horse, and rode 100 miles in 18 hours to join the revolution. This monument in the form of boulder and bronze plaque commemorates the patriotic life of General Israel Putnam and is located in the center of Brooklyn, CT. It was dedicated on the 200th anniversary of his birth, close to where he operated a tavern with his wife. the plaque's inscription tells his glorious story, his rise to command colonial forces at the Battle of Bunker Hill, and his subsequent promotion to become George Washington's second in command. The full inscription reads: In the field behind this stone after the close of the French and Indian wars, returning from many expeditions to ticonderoga, fort edward, quebec, montreal, havana, detroit, and new orleans lived col. israel putnam here, with his wife (2nd) mrs. deborah (avery gardiner) putnam he dispensed a famous hospitality at the general wolfe tavern near this spot, also, april 20, 1775, putnam received news of the battle of lexington. leaving his plow in the furrow with his son daniel, he rode one hundred miles in eighteen hours, reaching cambridge the next day. there soon after he planned and on june 17, 1775, commanded at the battle of bunker hill receiving thereafter from the continental congress by the hand of washington the first commission of major general (and the only one unanimously voted) which made him second in rank to his chief ----- placed by the town of brooklyn and the colonel daniel putnam association inc. 1918 the 200th anniversary of his birth ----- patriot, remember the heritages received from your forefathers and predecessors, protect and perpetuate them for future generations of your countrymen. The plaque has become difficult to read because of the copper patina over time. Maybe a restoration should be in order for the 300th anniversary of his birth in 2018?

We visited in July 2019 and were told they will be undergoing a 1 year restoration project…read morebeginning in the Fall. So don't wait! Go before the end of August 2019 or you will have to wait until summer 2021 to visit again! Ok, now that that is out of the way: We drive past this museum about once a month and finally made the stop in. I am so glad we did. It's so interesting. I had no idea who Prudence Crandall was. A trained teacher, whose family lived in the area, she was asked to open a school for the local affluent girls, which she was happy to do. Shortly after opening, a black woman asked her to attend the school as well and after some personal and religious deliberation Prudence said yes. The extent the community went through to stop black girls from attending her school is astounding! Even going so far as to try to burn down the house. Besides the history of the school you will learn about those who supported her, what some of her students went on to accomplish and where Prudence Crandall ended up in her senior years. There is a video presentation at the end of the tour which is quite well produced. On the second floor there is information on how schools have changed through the years in CT and some of the effort by Americans of African descent to acquire an education and the liberty they were promised at emancipation. If you go before they close for the season this year, you can complete a questionnaire after your tour (take the guided tour, so worth it!) and let them know what you liked most and what you'd like to see in the new collection when they reopen after restoration. They give you a gift for completing the survey. Also, items in the gift shop are presently half off before the restoration, so plan to pick up some personal and gift items. Beginning Sept 1, the museum director has two months to move all the collections out of the building. While structural work is completed beginning in November, she will have the task of developing new collection displays. A mighty task indeed. I look forward to going back in 2021 to see the new displays. I hope you make it in this year before the restoration begins.

This museum is an amazing CT story (one of the most unique in the state), but the tour was a…read moreterrible experience. I asked some contextual questions relating to the local social and cultural history, and the docent not only didn't answer them, but was dismissive that I would be curious to know their answers. I've been to many, many museums, and never experienced anything close to this coldness before. Everything the docent provided was already on the informational placards in the rooms. I wish I just read off of those instead (and I so much prefer personal interaction, but in this case, the reading of the placards would have been infinitely more preferable).