Oh demon alcohol, Sad memories I cannot recall,…read moreWho thought I would say, Damn it all and blow it all, Oh demon alcohol (The Kinks) Not only was Henry Daniel Cogswell a millionaire dentist, but he was a crusading teetotaler who thought that building public drinking fountains all over town would help curb the public from the evil temptations of demon alcohol. In 1883, Cogswell donated this fountain to the town of Vernon. Of course, it was topped with a statue of himself. In one hand he held a glass of water, and in the other he held the Temperance Pledge. Seemed that Cogswell was pretty serious about the evils of alcohol. Turns out there were over 30 bars in Vernon at the time, and those that supported them didn't exactly see eye to eye with Cogswell. So it was no surprise when in the middle of the night, someone took down Cogswell's statue, liberated it from its pedestal, and heaved it into Shenipsit Lake. The local constable fished it out of the lake and set it up again, only to see it disappear once more! It was missing until 1908, when it mysteriously appeared propped up against a downtown building. It was put into storage and melted down into scrap during World War II. The fountain had a stone urn in place instead of the statue for years. In 2005, a replica statue was dedicated and it was returned to its rightful spot atop the fountain for a few years. Recently, it was removed, and again replaced with an urn. The replacement statue is being repaired for rust damage, some cracks, and a missing right hand. Cogswell's message still appears to be meeting resistance over 100 years after it was first broadcast. All I can say is "I'll drink to that"!

Nice town employees in charge of providing the needs of citizens. The town hall is located in the…read moregood ol' Memorial Hall that was built in 1889. Upstairs in the middle level is however a different but interesting story. The New England Civil War Museum exists in that very level. Lots of memorabilia from the Civil War era.

What a powerful mix of beauty, creativity, respect, and awe. What a wonderful way to honor…read morefirefighters. This has to be seen to be believed. It really is a memorial garden, a winding path with sets of stairs takes you on a journey of monuments, plaques, artifacts, and sculpted gardens and decorative bricks to create an overpowering effect. The Memorial Garden was dedicated on September 11, 2002 to honor "ALL WHO ANSWERED THE FINAL ALARM". The garden is at the side of Manchester Fire Station No. 5, 331 Tolland Turnpike, Manchester, CT, the garden is a mix of memorials and plantings adjacent to the American flag. The garden currently contains nine different memorials. The first New York memorial was dedicated on September 11, 2002 and is comprised of two retired twin alarm boxes depicting the North and South World Trade Center Towers, engraved in glass, are the names, ranks, and stations of all 343 New York Firefighters lost in the attacks of September 11, 2001. There is a planting of bushes that depict the numerals 9-11 and a grouping of bricks to form the numerals 3 4 3. There are also memorials to firefighters that died in the line of duty all over the country. Remember these catastrophes? A deadly 1999 warehouse fire in Worcester, MA that claimed six lives. A 2007 fire and collapse that took nine firefighters in Charleston, SC. The 2013 Arizona wildfire that consumed 19 members of the Granite Mountain Hotshot crew. They are all remembered here. There is a beam from the WTC. There are many individual memorials to CT firefighters who dies in the line of duty across the state. There are stones and flowers and plantings and trees. There is an eternal flowing fire hydrant. There's a memorial bench. There's a large memorial stone etched with aerial ladders. There is a bronze bell mounted in stone. Seriously, you could spend a full contemplative hour here, walking the garden, looking at all the exhibits, and reading all of the plaques and monuments.

Vernon, CT's cloth was of such high quality, that two US Presidents were inaugurated in suits made…read morefrom its textile mills! Vernon was huge in the development of industrial New England. It was a textile giant with water power and cotton spinning looms, woolen products, immigrant labor, and award winning cloths and fabrics. This is a two-sided marker from the CT Historical Commission, with the familiar white lettering on a blue background. The marker dates to 1981 and is in pretty good shape. It's located on a town green where Park Place and Elm Street meet. It does a great job of relating Vernon's impressive industrial heritage

This place is my go to, I go here with my girls a few times a month :) they LOVE the children's…read moresection. So many things to do, so many events and activities every month. So many options of things you can take home, from educational stuff to help with learning at home; to fun activities and books.

I'd love to know more about this library - it feels like it has a big addition put on, and when…read morethey discussed trying to make the two parts match just laughed and laughed. It's a really cool effect, don't get me wrong, but it almost feels like they crashed into each other. The library is full of books, both in the old and new sides. The front (even though parking is on the side and in back) looks beautiful and houses work computers. In October, they had a find the Snoopy game, which was delightful! I got a book mark prize, it was Halloween-tastic!

With a population of around 15,000, Tolland is a nice quiet suburb of Hartford half-way to the…read moreMassachusetts line as you head up I-84. So it's only fitting that it has a nice quiet historical marker. It's rather brief text doesn't really offer any "wow" factors. So what does it highlight as epic moments in Tolland history? It was named after Tolland England. Its first homes were built over 400 years ago in a part of town named for ancestors of a 19th Century President. It was once the state's county seat. Its courthouse became a library and its jail became a museum. Not exactly scintillating stuff. This is a two-sided marker from the CT Historical Commission in the familiar white lettering on a blue background. It can be found on a grassy area on the side of the municipal building. It has the same inscription on each side. It dates to 1971 and is in very good shape.

This group deserves a solid five stars because of Janet.Janet is the best advocate.She has the…read moreunique gift of helping stores and manufacturers reach out and find new customers.

From the owner: Founded in 1957, the Tolland County Chamber of Commerce is a non-profit organization that promotes…read morethe economic and civic vitality of Tolland County, Connecticut which includes Andover, Bolton, Columbia, Coventry, Ellington, Hebron, Mansfield, Somers, Stafford, Tolland, Union, Vernon and Willington. Our offices are located at Lafayette Square in Vernon, Connecticut, adjacent to I-84 off of Exit 67.

This plaque is hard to read for two reasons…read more First of all, it bears really confusing language about the history of the land - it was renamed a few times, it was bought as compensation between a few parties (take your pick -Indians, General Assembly, Windsor) and somehow the land was used to resolve a border dispute between CT and MA. It's really hard to make sense of this. Second of all, the marker is not in good condition. Actually, the side facing the library is in deplorable condition and is very hard to read. The lettering on the side facing away from the library is much better, but it has chips of peeling blue paint. This is a two-sided marker from the CT Historical Commission, with the familiar white lettering on a blue background. The same inscription is on both sides. The marker dates to 1972. It's located on a town green where Main Street and Maple street converge near the Hall Memorial Library. The inscription reads: This region was named by Indian inhabitants Weaxskashuck, meaning Great Marsh. Early white settlers called it Windsor Goshen, or Great Marsh. In 1671 Town of Windsor purchased western part from the Indians, receiving eastern portion later from General Assembly to replace land taken from Windsor to settle boundary dispute between Massachusetts and Connecticut. Samuel Pinney was the first settler in 1717. Former home of the Reverend John McKinstry, 1730 is probably oldest house standing in Ellington Legislative action established parish in 1735. Part of Windsor east of Connecticut River was set off 1768, becoming East Windsor and incorporated in 1786.

I came here for their grand opening on June 10, 2023. I parked in the Valley Falls Park parking lot…read moreand made the hike up to this site. I wasn't too bad but I definitely worked up a sweat! Turns out there is a small parking lot right by the red barn! I went into the red barn and saw poster boards of the historical significance of the site. I signed in and chatted with a lady who provided a self guided walking tour pamphlet. There is no charge to visit and I believe she said the site is open on Sundays during the summer. Check tankerhoosen.info for more historical information. I then walked up to the stable which was full of people and a lady explaining more about the history of the farm. There are two displays of metal buttons and a King George penny from the 1700's that were found by my brother using his metal detector! They have a slice of a 150 year old oak tree that was located on the farm. It had to be cut down in 2020 as it was dying due to three years of gypsy moth infestation. Two local Girl Scouts labeled key dates in history on the tree rings. Next I went to the Piggery where I found a gentleman who explained how it worked. They had a separate pen to protect the sow and shoats (baby pigs). The most interesting part was the waste removal system. The pig waste was washed into a drain hole and using gravity it went underground down to the manure shed so it would be odor free! There is more to this site but I'll leave that for you to discover! Just driving by this site from Bolton Road down Valley Falls road is breathtaking especially in the fall.