In 1747, Andover was cobbled together from bits of Lebanon, Hebron, and Coventry…read more A famous clockmaker was born here. So was an Army major that served in the Revolutionary War. A 6,000 man army led by General Rochambeau marched through Andover on their way to Virginia to assist General Washington. They must have really liked the town, because a year later, they camped here on their return march. This is a two-sided marker from the CT Historical Commission, with the familiar white lettering on a blue background. It has the same inscription on both sides. The marker dates to 1976 and is in a bizarre state. The white lettering looks bright and in good condition. The blue background is also bright and is in mostly very good shape, except for the peeling chips at the very top of both sides. It's located on a strip of grass between Town Hall and a school.

This is a 2-sided marker from the CT Historical Commission in the familiar white lettering on a…read moreblue background, The lettering is the same on both sides. I love the location of the marker- right in front of Town Hall between two sidewalks, mailboxes and a bicycle rack. I love the idea that so many people walk by it every day to learn something about their town. Some of the markers I see are way off the beaten path, on a random street (example? Stonington). The marker is in good condition with easy to read lettering. It summarizes the history of the town from it's 1646 settlement and Massachusetts Puritan roots, its spin-off from New London 60 years later, and a great piece of trivia- that Groton was the site of one of the final battles of the American Revolution. On a more contemporary note, it talks about Groton's importance to the submarine industry. The marker reads: As a part of New London Plantation, Groton was settled in 1646 by John Winthrop, the younger, and a band of Puritans from Massachusetts. The town separated from New London in 1705, and was named for the Winthrop manor in England. One of the last battles of the American Revolution was fought on Groton Heights at Fort Griswold, September 6, 1781. The Groton Monument commemorates the battle. A state park now preserves the fort area. Groton is the site of the Submarine Base of the United States Navy, and home of the builder of much of the Navy's undersea fleet. It is the birthplace of the nuclear submarine. Erected by the Town of Groton, the Groton American Revolution Bicenntennial Committee and the Connecticut Historical Commission 1976

A bit more aged in the nine years since Dan was here but the marker still stands proudly, telling…read moreall who pass about the history of this coastal Connecticut town. There is a small wide spot where you can pull over to read and appreciate the story here. The marker reads, "This coastline of Pequot Indian country was first mapped by Adriaen Block from Holland in 1614. The first settlers in 1649 were William and Anna Chesebrough at Wequetequock Cove. The next year Thomas Stanton built a trading post on the Pawcatuck River. Two years later came Walter Palmer, Thomas Miner, and Captain George Denison. John Gallup and Robert Park settled in the Mystic area soon afterwards." "In 1658 Massachusetts claimed the town, naming it Southerton. Governor John Winthrop, Jr. obtained the Connecticut Charter from England in 1662, which set the boundaries of the town. It was renamed Mystic in 1665 and Stonington in 1666. Men of Stonington repulsed a British naval attack on the town, both in 1775 and in 1814. The old trades of shipbuilding, whaling, sealing, and the railroad-steamboat terminal have been replaced by light manufacturing and commercial fishing. Today, Stonington's past maritime glory is reflected in the relics of her Mystic Seaport and Old Lighthouse Museum." It was Erected by the Town of Stonington, the Stonington Historical Society and the Connecticut Historical Commission in 1978. [Review 18663 overall - 80 in Connecticut - 2185 of 2022.]

Don't blink or you'll miss it, which would be a shame. . It's located on a strip of grass about…read moreten feet from traffic on a routine stretch of Route 1, not far from Elm Street. Unless you're looking for it, you'll never see it. This is a 2-sided marker from the CT Historical Commission in the familiar white lettering on a blue background. The lettering is the same on both sides The marker is in good condition with easy to read lettering. It summarizes the history of the town- its heritage as Pequot Indian land, visit from Dutch explorer Adriaen Block in 1614 (Damn -that's a long time ago !), its earliest settlements in the 17th century, its colonial history (The men of Stonington repulsed a British attack in 1775 and repeated the act in the War of 1812!), and its distinguished maritime culture. It's a pretty wonderful history, even if it's in a place where few will ever read it. The marker reads: "This coastline of Pequot Indian country was first mapped by Adriaen Block from Holland in 1614. The first settlers in 1649 were William and Anna Chesebrough at Wequetoquock Cove. The next year Thomas Stanton built a trading post on the Pawcatuck River. Two years later came Walter Plamer, Thomas Minor, and Captain George Denison. John Gallup and Robert Park settled in the Mystic area soon afterwards. In 1658 Massachusetts claimed the town, naming it Southertown. Governor John Winthrop, Jr. obtained the Connecticut Charter from England in 1662, which set the boundaries of the town. It was renamed Mystic in 1665 and Stonington in 1666. Men of Stonington repulsed a British naval attack on the town, both in 1775 and in 1814. The old trades of shipbuilding, whaling, sealing, and the railroad-steamboat terminal have been replaced by light manufacturing and commercial fishing. Today, Stonington's past maritime glory is reflected in the relics of her Mystic Seaport and Old Lighthouse Museum." Erected by the Town of Stonington the Stonington Historical Society and the Connecticut Historical Commission 1976

An Indian Chief with the outstanding name of "Allumps" sold the site of present day Plainfield to…read moretwo brothers in 1653. The marker describes Allumps as a "renegade chief". I wonder if his possibly less than eloquent name made him somewhat antisocial and perhaps paved the way for his renagedeness? Anyway, the text of this marker isn't exactly riveting. It touches on local geography, schools, churches, industry, and economy. I've seen a lot of similar markers that deliver a lot more oomph or interesting nuggets. This two-sided marker from the CT Historical Commission has the familiar white lettering on a blue background. It's located on the front lawn of the First Congregational Church on Norwich Road. The marker is in pretty good condition -the front side is in very good shape with some fading and streaking on the reverse side..

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).

This is a 2-sided marker from the CT Historical Commission in the familiar white lettering on a…read moreblue background, It's located at the intersection of Pennsylvania Avenue (Connecticut Route 161) and Smith Street, just in front of East Lyme Town Hall. The marker has the same inscription on both sides. It summarizes the town's settlement in the 1640's, its development into a separate town in 1839, it's textile industry heritage, and the origin of the name Niantic (a district of East Lyme), which was a spin on the name of the local Indian tribe, Nehantic. The rest of the plaque spotlights two historic houses, the Thomas Lee House (1660) and the Smith Harris House (1840), a "romantic" 1646 marriage, and the local beauty of Mother Nature's "beaches, ponds, streams, woodland, and fields". It ends with a tribute to the Niantic Scallop " a popular seafood". The marker was dedicated in 1980 and is still in very good condition with no fading to the blue background or white lettering. The lettering is still crisp and easy to read. Its located in a very pretty setting in front of Town Hall.

They are open limited hours, but it's worth a visit to a guy who was annoyed by a bunch of…read moredifferent spellings all over the place. Or in other words, he saw value in unifying the country through singular coded spelling choices, including ditching some British spellings. This suggestion for "tung" never caught on though. It's not a big house, but they do provide a video background and an iPad introduction where in each room you can play audio on the family, the room, and other background information. Since we were the only ones there, playing the audio was great. If a bunch of people were there, individual audio could get annoying. But there was a lot of good information to play as much or as little as needed. There's a small gift shop, and the whole thing should take about an hour. It's a neat little historical site for someone of whom we have all read their work.

The Noah Webster House is a very cool museum where you'll learn all about "The Father of American…read moreScholarship and Education." Of course Noah Webster is most well-known for publishing his dictionary, but he also created the "Blue-Backed Speller," which taught generations of children how to spell and read, and played an integral role in advocating for copyright reform. Here's the scoop on this interesting little museum in West Hartford: The museum is open Monday-Sat, 1-4PM. Adult admission is $14. The museum is actually the location of Webster's childhood home. Parking is available on site. Once inside, you will receive an iPad, which will guide you through each room in the house. You can also use your smartphone to scan a QR code and download the tablet tour on your phone. There is a short 15-minute film about Webster's life that you can watch prior to starting the self-guided tour. You can then use the iPad to navigate your way from room-to-room, and the iPad includes an audio narration about the room, what it was used for, etc. Photography/video is allowed. After finishing the tour of the house, there is an educational/demonstration room that you can visit where staff give various presentations on different topics. The day I went, a staff member was demonstrating how the Webster family used to card and spin wool. It was pretty cool! These demonstrations are part of the museum's "Life on the Webster Farm: Work Days" educational series, and are generally the second or third Saturday of each month (visit their website for the full list of dates). Before leaving, you can check out the gift shop which has Noah Webster and West Hartford souvenirs and memorabilia. After I finished at the museum, I took the short drive to Blue Back Square, which I learned was named after Webster's "Blue-Backed Speller." There you'll find a statute of Webster in front of the West Hartford Public Library, as well as the "Webster Walk" with various murals and artwork. Overall, a very educational experience about one of our nation's Founding Fathers!

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.