Can confirm the first review's report that you can't see either this lighthouse or the one that's…read moreon land in Fenwick unless you own property in the immediate vicinity or are the guest of someone who does. We thought we would drive up to visit the nearer lighthouse like we did with the lighthouses in the Outer Banks of North Carolina, but there are signs telling you that access is restricted. We decided not to flout that but can verify that the golf course looks very nice. Stars awarded for the history of the lighthouses.

A light that's hard…read moreto see The Old Saybrook Breakwater Lighthouse was completed in 1888 and was built to replace the much older lighthouse at Lynde Point. It's a very typical lighthouse for this period and stands 48 feet tall and is constructed of brick and cast iron. These lights are frequently called bug lights, coffee pots of most commonly spark plugs. Strong and cheap to build they can survive just about anything, including massive hurricanes and ice and freezing cold. The one was automated in 1958 and recently went up for sale in 2013. It finally sold for 340,000 dollars but the price is somewhat misleading. The owners are responsible for maintenance and the Coast Guard still owns the land that the light sits on. This lighthouse isn't a particularly easy one to get close to. It's in the very expensive and exclusive area called Fenwick and they aren't very fond of people walking around there. The best way to view it is by the water or by kind of landing a yak on a beach in the off season and they walking down the breakwater up to the light. Just hope nobody sees you. This is a classic Connecticut lighthouse and is even featured on the CT license plate. The money for the special plate goes to hope preserve Long Island Sound. A cool little light that everyone sees while crossing over the Connecticut River on I-95 but one that very few people get to see up close.

"Make Us Free" I…read morelearned about the Amistad story from Steven Spielberg's 1997 movie. In 1839, a Spanish slave ship called La Amistad was carrying African slaves to Cuba. Under the leadership of Joseph Cinque (the central figure of the Amistad story), there was a prison break on the ship and two of the Spanish crew were killed. The ship ended up in New Haven, CT where a Supreme Court trial took place to decide the destiny of the slaves. Were they Spanish property? Were they free men? Were they criminals? What exactly were they? You will find this powerful memorial in front of the New Haven City Hall. It's a striking three sided sculpture with a trio of sculpted panels depicting Sengbe Pieh, also known as Joseph Cinque. Each panel shows him at different stages in his life -as a free African, as a defendant in the Supreme Court trial, and as a free man ready to return to Africa. The gorgeous sculptures of Cinque are 9 feet tall, resting on a 2 foot granite base. The three-sided base contains a large inscription that tells the story. The full inscription reads: Make Us Free This monument is a memorial to the 1839 Amistad Revolt and its leader, Sengbe Pieh, also known as Joseph Cinque. Sengbe Pieh was one of the millions of Africans kidnapped from their homes and transported in bondage to the Americas. Sold into slavery in Cuba, he and forty-eight other men, and four children were bound aboard the schooner La Amistad. During a storm, Sengbe Pieh successfully freed himself and his fellows. The Africans seized the ship, but their offers to steer La Amistad homeward were thwarted. After futile weeks at sea, they were captured off Long Island by the U.S.S. Washington. On this site, the Amistad Africans were jailed awaiting trial for piracy and murder. To aid their struggle for freedom, the Amistad Committee formed, counting in its number ministers Simeon Jocelyn, Joshua Leavitt, and James Pennington; merchant Lewis Tappan; professor Josiah Gibbs; and lawyer Roger Baldwin. The Africans were tried twice prior to their ultimate triumph before the United States Supreme Court, where former President John Quincy Adams courageously defended them. Sengbe Pieh and his fellows were declared Free Persons. The Africans sought to return home. To raise funds for their voyage and to further the anti-slavery cause, they engaged in a series of speaking tours. In 1841, after a sojourn that profoundly influenced the abolitionist movement, they set sail, free at last. To commemorate the heroism of the Amistad Africans and those who shared in their quest for freedom, the 1989 Amistad Committee commissioned his sculpture by Ed Hamilton and dedicated it on September 26, 1992. Erected 1992 by the 1989 Amistad Committee One of the best movie courtroom scenes I have ever seen has the great Anthony Hopkins as an elderly John Quincy Adams arguing for the freedom of the slaves before the US Supreme Court. If this doesn't give you goose bumps, go check to see if you are breathing. Check this out.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZFr4VLPW9Q

The Amistad memorial has been on my list for some time. It commemorates the fight to establish the…read morefreedom of those slaves who took control of the slave ship The Amistad. After two trials, it was announced that they were in fact Freemen and allowed to return to their homes in Africa. It is a cornerstone in the abolitionist movement, and crucial case to abolishment of slavery in the USA.

This marker is along Townsend next to the historic Fort Wooster Park…read more On the front, "Sacred grounds of the Quinnipiac Indians and one of the earliest reservations in the New World Battle site of the American patriots against the British forces during the invasion of New Haven on July 5, 1779. Location of a hilltop beacon to warn of approaching enemy ships during the War of 1812, site of earthen ramparts and a black powder cellar." And it continues, "This coastal Algonquian tribe numbered about 250 members when the English colonists arrived in 1638. They practiced a variety of activities: fishing, clamming, farming of beans, squash & corn, gathering of nuts, berries & roots and hunting game animals & birds. They lived in wigwams covered with rush mats, skins or bark. Travel was by foot or dugouts. Clothing consisted of tanned hides decorated with feathers, porcupine quills & shell beads." On the reverse, "On November 24, 1638, the Quinnipiac leaders: Montowese, Sawseunek, Momaugin, Sugcogisin, Carroughood, Weesaucuck and Shaumpishuh signed a treaty with the Rev. John Davenport and Theophilus Eaton, which designated the east side of the harbor as a reservation of 1200 acres for the Native Americans. The Indian population gradually dwindled, some of the men serving in Great Britain's colonial wars. East Haven farmers pressured the Quinnipiacs to sell their reservation land. Many of the tribe migrated to Farmington to join the Tunxis Indians. In 1773 the last of the reservation land was sold. The Quinnipiacs as a tribe were gone forever from the area; however, as late as the mid-1800s, some members returned in the summer to fish, clam, sell baskets and help farmers with haying." The marker was erected in 2001. [Review 1061 of 2025 - 114 in Connecticut - 24615 overall]

Stunning gardens in full bloom we enjoyed in late June this year with the beach being very…read moreinviting. There is beautiful expansive lawn with trees and tables to enjoy a picnic. Glad we stopped and look forward to visiting again.

I really enjoy walking around this area. They have the beach, the house, the garden. There's so…read moremany areas to walk around and take pictures. There's always an event going on.

Looks can be deceiving…read more When strolling down Main Street in Deep River, you'll see it. What looks like a cute statue of an elephant with his trunk raised in the air commemorates the very solemn history between Deep River and its 19th century elephant trade. A plaque tells the story - here in Deep River, the tusks of over 100,000 elephants a year were processed into dozens of household products. I just read a National Geographic article that said "a 75-pound adult African elephant tusk could yield the wafer-thin ivory veneers to cover the keys of 45 pianos". A lot of those piano keys were made right here in Deep River. This memorial in front of Town Hall includes a small statue of an elephant on top of a stone base with an inscribed plaque. The full inscription reads: We Honor the Elephant During the 1800's Deep River was the center of America's ivory trade. Elephant tusks from Africa were brought to Deep River landing for local factories to make piano keys, combs, buttons, and billiard balls. Up to 100,000 elephants a year were killed, their tusks transported by slaves, to sustain this trade. Deep River remembers its debt to this majestic creature as it looks forward to a new future as "Queen of the Valley."

I have to admit, when I read this marker, one phrase leapt out at me and piqued my curiosity…read more What on earth are those references to a "place of noises" and "subterranean sounds" all about? Well apparently, eerie drumming pulsations have been heard here since pre-colonial days. Different witnesses described the sound as everything from a thunderstorm to falling trees to gigantic burps. The native Americans that lived here named the land "Machimoodus" which translates to one very ominous phrase -- "place of bad noises." The Indians blamed the noises on an angry god and the Puritan settlers blamed Satan himself. In recent times, somewhat more scientific explanations were sought and one of those findings included "shallow micro-earthquakes" as the culprit. The marker is located in front of the Town Building. It's a 2-sided marker from the CT Historical Commission, in the familiar white lettering on a blue background. It has different inscriptions on both sides. The marker is in pretty good shape with no peeling or chipping and some very minor fading of the blue background. The full inscription reads: East Haddam Incorporated 1734 This land was part of an original purchase from the Indians in 1662 for thirty coats - about $100. It included Machimoodus, "the place of noises", so named from subterranean sounds formerly heard there. Layout of highways began in 1669. The first settlement was along Creek Row in 1685. Ferry service across the Connecticut River began in 1695 and ended with the completion of the swing bridge in 1913. The first Ecclesiastical Society was formed in 1704. Shipbuilding and the manufacture of cotton goods flourished and declined here during the two centuries before the steamboat era ended in the 1930's. From earliest settlement many streams provided water power for mills. The militia served in three wars, with notable contributions during the Revolution. Areas of town are known as Millington, Hadlyme, North Plains, Leesville, Johnsonville, Moodus, Little Haddam, and the East Haddam Landings. Settlers of East Haddam 1685 - 1699 Nicholas Ackley John Bates John Booge Daniel Brainard, Jr. John Chapman Daniel Cone George Gates Thomas Hungerford Samuel and William Spencer Abraham and John Willey Notable East Haddamites The Reverend Stephen Hosmer - first minister Joseph Spencer - major general in Revolution Epaphroditus Champion - Commissary General Nathan Hale - teacher, patriot, and martyr Dyar Throop - first Judge of County Court Jonathan O. Moseley - U.S. Representative William H. Goodspeed - shipbuilder William E. Nichols - inventor & manufacturer Luther Boardman - silver plating & britannia Morgan G. Bulkeley - Governor & U.S. Senator Francis H. Parker - local historian Erected by the Town of East Haddam the East Haddam Historic District Commission and the Connecticut Historical Commission 1979 162 CT towns done, 8 to go

Dante, the docent at the house, he is awesome! He has the type of personality people need when…read moretouring historic homes. The items displayed are interesting. The second and third floor are interesting.

My wife and I visited the Henry Whitfield State Museum on 10/3/2024, and it was a wonderful…read moreexperience. The museum is housed in a charming 17th-century building, which adds an authentic touch to the historical exhibits. The three floors are packed with interesting artifacts and furniture from the time, and the staff were incredibly friendly and knowledgeable, providing plenty of background information that enhanced our experience. It wasn't busy at all, making it even more enjoyable. We left feeling like we'd stepped back in time--definitely worth a visit!

Fact- during my childhood in the Bronx, the local high school was named DeWitt Clinton High School…read more I played a lot of stickball and basketball there. Later I learned that DeWitt was quite a public servant, serving as a Senator from NY (1802-03), Mayor of NYC (1803-1815), and later as Governor of NY (1817-1822). That's quite a Triple Crown. Today, while reading the Clinton CT Historical marker, I learned about one more of his accomplishments - the honor that Clinton, CT was named for him. The marker is located on the lawn just to the right of Clinton's Town Hall. It's a 2-sided marker from the CT Historical Commission, in the familiar white lettering on a blue background. The marker has the same text on both sides. The 1977 marker is in an uneven condition. One side is in pretty good shape, with a fairly bright and unfaded blue background and white lettering. The other side was not as fortunate, because I saw various of points of failure in the form of fading in both the blue background and white lettering. The full text reads: Settled in 1663 and then known as Homonoscitt Plantation, this shoreline and rural community soon thereafter was given the name Kenilworth and later Killingworth. In 1735 the First and Second Ecclesiastical Societies were established being the southern and northern portions of the Town respectively. In May 1838, the southern portion was incorporated as a separate town with the name of Clinton after DeWitt Clinton, Governor of New York. Early classes of the Collegiate School, later Yale University, were held here. Citizens prominent in Clinton history: Abraham Pierson - a founder and first rector of the Collegiate School. Jared Eliot - church pastor and noted doctor friend of Benjamin Franklin. Benjamin Gale - pupil of Eliot, gifted physician and agriculturist. Charles Morgan - benefactor of public schools. Horatio G. Wright - Civil War general, chief of army engineers. Erected by the Town of Clinton the Clinton Historical Society and the Connecticut Historical Commission 1971 166 CT towns down, 4 to go