My family and I were at the Celebrate New Britain event and stopped at this historical marker…read more Since there's a Yelp review on it, I'll add my two cents. The marker is located in Central Park next to the huge Soldiers' Monument; standing almost like a shadow against this grand obelisk. Don't let that take away from the significance of it. The marker was erected in 1971, with a combined effort of the City of New Britain and Connecticut Historical Commission. On the marker, there is a brief description of the city. It became a town in 1850 and the main sources of employment were blacksmithing and hardware manufacturing; it rapidly expanded and became known as the hardware city. A nice spot to stop, take a moment, and read this informative marker.

Once known as "The Hardware City of the World", the name "New Britain" is certainly an improvement…read moreover it's early name of "Great Swamp". This is a two-sided marker from the CT Historical Commission in the familiar white lettering on a blue background. It has the same inscription on both sides. It's Located in a small green known as Central Park, at the intersection of West Main Street and Main Street. The sign was dedicated in 1971 and remains in pretty good condition considering its age. It is showing some sides of faded paint on both the white lettering and blue background, but is still very readable. The full inscription reads: The Ecclesiastical Society of New Britain was formed 1754 by division of Kensington Society called Great Swamp. New Britain became a town 1850. Charter of incorporation was granted by Connecticut General Assembly 1870 which was accepted January, 1871, by vote of 521 to 520. From small beginnings in blacksmith shops, hardware manufacturing developed rapidly; by end of the 19th century city was widely known as Hardware City of the World. Its most famous son, Elihu Burritt, the learned blacksmith became ardent advocate of international peace and advancement of education. First Normal School in Connecticut was established here 1850, now Central Connecticut State College. Erected by the City of New Britain and the Connecticut Historical Commission 1971

I did not come to tour the museum, but did get to see part of it as part of a hearth cooking class…read more The Stanley-Whitman is part original house arranged how it may have been with the original owners, and part new structure with a gift shop and modern restrooms. There is also an herb garden outside, and an apple tree grown based on the teachings of Benjamin Franklin. Apparently having fruit took more than a grocery store way back when. The house is very interesting to experience. Everything was smaller back then, and cooking was a task and a half. The employees/docents are obviously learned about their subjects, and you'll learn a lot. Definitely check out their special programs - parking may be a challenge (so carpool!) but if they're food related they'll be delicious.

Stopped in for a short tour during the day. The docent was very knowledgeable. It's a small place…read morebut tons of information. Great way to spend an hour.

This is a mans world This is a mans world…read moreBut it would be nothing, nothing Without a women or a girl (James Brown) There is a large park in New Britain named Walnut Park. While exploring the park today, I came across this awesome monument named "Salute to Women". It's a slab of black granite topped with an engraving of a woman holding a wrench in her right hand and cradling an infant in her left hand. The eloquent inscription recognizes the often unsung role of America's women ("our mothers, wives, daughters and sisters") during times of war. Check out the beautiful message: Salute To Women Throughout our century of wars, we have rightfully paid homage, and erected monuments to our veterans commemorating their heroic deeds and sacrifices. Today, we recognize and pay homage, and salute our women; our mothers, wives, daughters and sisters who unselfishly nurtured and nursed their veterans and supported their men by entering the factories, shops, and mills thereby turning America into "the arsenal of democracy," so vital and necessary for final victory; while simultaneously "keeping the home fires burning" patiently and silently awaiting the return of their beloved sons, husbands and brothers - alive or dead. They sacrificed their men to the horrors of war... they suffered and shed tears in silence... without expectation of recognition, monuments, awards, or medals. They are the true heroines of the century of war... today your veterans salute you. Louis A. Gentile Inspired by Aurea S. Gentle Mary A. Gentle & Sharon R. Phillips Dedicated, June 13, 1999

This museum is adorable! I came because of a Groupon, and parking may be an issue for events. It…read morewas very limited on the property itself, although there is handicapped parking right next to the main house. Outside there is a barn and old outhouse, and a beautiful garden display. it's very well maintained. The entrance is off the front porch, where you're greeted by a docent or intern. Tours of the house are 20-30 minutes, and it contains so many original items from the original family who owned it (it went right from the last surviving to a museum), and the last generation was into collecting. There's a lot of local history, many dog decorations, and GOBLETS. There's over 1,000 goblets, and most seem to be single styles. They are working on cataloging them. The house is beautiful, and the history is fascinating. If you live in the area, you'll pick up pieces of Southington back in the day. Children would even enjoy seeing the cases of old products and what names they may recognize. And the goblets are breathtaking. This is a great value museum! (They also sell postcards for a great price)

This guy never…read more threw out anything The Barnes Museum, formerly known as the Bradley Homestead, is a cool old house that serves as a historical library and is open to the public. It was built in 1836 and for five bucks you get to see and hear about another time and way of life. The first thing you notice once you are inside the house is that there is a lot of stuff. Lots of lots of stuff. All kinds of stuff. Stuff everywhere. It turns out Bradley Barnes, a son of the original builder of the house never threw out anything. He collected and kept all kinds of stuff. Some very cool stuff but also a lot of crap. It seems every single receipt, letter, photo, magazine, toy, knick knack and doo dad he every owned he kept. Perhaps some serious OCD going on there. It almost seemed like he knew the house was going to be a museum and wanted it well stocked with stuff. Of course all this stuff makes the house interesting to tour. The lady bringing us around seemed to know exactly what every single piece in the house was and where it came from. Pretty cool and amazing. All the stuff isn't from Bradley or from one temporal moment. Leela Barnes, Bradley's wife was a prolific painter and many of her paintings are scattered throughout the domicile. She also had many collections and also seem to keep just about everything she ever owned. You can definitely see what the attraction between these two was The house was being lived in until the 1970's when it was donated to the town so there were modifications and changes to the original structure and items from different decades. Going through the place is almost like a walk through time. Shifting back and forth through different years ands individuals. Of course you inevitable go back to Bradley's stuff. A great old house that is in absolutely pristine condition. It's filled with lots of very cool and some not so cool stuff. So much stuff that you have to thread carefully in places so that you don't end up breaking some of the stuff. I have a feeling that Leela and Bradley were a couple of crazy sob's but because of them we have a great old historic house filled with lots of very interesting stuff.

It was a Pulitzer prize winning photograph, taken on February 23, 1945 and it became one of the…read moremost iconic images in American history. A monument based on the image became a well known tourist attraction in Washington DC. And in 1995, on the Newington/New Britain border, just off Exit 29 on Route 9, it became a memorial and park that will simply take your breath away. This memorial is dedicated to America's 6,821 servicemen who gave their lives during the Battle of Iwo Jima. The base of the memorial lists the names of the 100 Connecticut natives killed there. There is so much to see at the memorial and around the park. Flags of the service branches, a stone uncovered during the excavation that eerily resembled the shape of Iwo Jima's island, an eternal flame, monuments dedicated to medical corps and chaplains, engraved bricks on the walkways, engraved dedications on the hundreds of flag holders, small stone memorials with sponsors' names, and a time capsule to be opened in 2045. Of course, the crowning glory of this sprawling memorial is the massive statue representing the raising of the U.S. flag on Mount Suribachi by six soldiers. It is simply a stunning memorial. Go see it, read the plaques, try to wrap your arms around the idea of 6,800 servicemen dying, spend some quiet time reflecting on what you have seen.

This was a must see while I was in the area. This stems from a very monumental moment in our…read morecountry's history. This memorial is located on Ella Grasso boulevard, near New Britain/Newington town line. This memorial was dedicated on February 23,1995. This memorial salutes the Americans who died fighting the last strategic stronghold, before the planned invasion on Japan. The park also features an eternal flame and monuments also dedicated to combat medical corps and chaplains. At the base of the monument are the inscribed names of the soldiers who gave their lives in battle.

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!

This is the newest 9/11 Memorial I have looked at. It was just dedicated on 9/11/18…read more Planning started back in 2010 when a request was made for three pieces of steel from the destroyed World Trade Center. The memorial has a circular patio with benches just off to the side of the fire station. A path from the circle leads to two upright steel beams rising from the ground to suggest the Twin Towers. They are rising from a pavement base in the shape of a pentagon. I saw a third beam and read that it was damaged when the WTC collapsed on it. The setting for the memorial contains trees, landscaped plant beds, and custom lighting. Sitting under a tree, a nearby plaque reads: "NEVER FORGET" This tree is a living memorial to those that lost their lives during the terrorist attacks on our country of September 11, 2001 May we never forget and be inspired by the bravery and courage of the 343 New York City firefighters Who gave their lives in service to others

I got to see this monument at the church's annual lobster festival and craft fair. Frankly, I was…read moreintrigued at it being the first Civil War monument, particularly since now it seems like there's one (or at least a mention of those who served) in every town. The monument is taller than I am, so well over six feet, and is a bit like the Washington monument in appearance. It seems structurally sound, and was clearly well built or has been well maintained since 1863, despite being on a small incline. There is a small fence surrounding this monument, although it is much too high to legitimately be a tripping hazard. A fine, well maintained and contained monument indeed. Also, if you go during their festival, try the lobster roll!

In every list of things, or every column of data, something has to be first. Today I saw America's…read morefirst monument dedicated to the soldiers of the Civil War. It was dedicated in 1863, while the war was still raging. The monument is located in a lovely park on the corner of Percival Street and Sheldon Street on the property of the Kensington Congregational Church. It's a tall obelisk of simple stone with inscriptions on all four sides of the base. The monument is surrounded by a pretty ornamental iron fence that is adorned with plaques. One of the fence plaques tells the back story of the monument. "In 1861 as the Civil War escalated, a decision was made to provide a monument to honor soldiers from the Kensington area. The effort was led by The Reverend Elias Hillard, Nelson A. Moore, Selectman George Cowles and church members. It was designed by Mr. Moore and dedicated on July 28, 1863. This monument was the first in the Nation to honor Civil War soldiers. There were 15 local area men who served including Elijah H. Bacon who was awarded the Medal of Honor. This plaque donated by the Town of Berlin under the auspices of the Berlin Veterans Commission The plaque's main inscription reads: Erected to Commemorate the Death Of Those Who Perished in Suppressing The Southern Rebellion How sleep the brave who sink to rest. By all their country's wishes blest. 1863 Soldiers The other sides of the monument bear the names of local Civil War veterans. There is a cannon with a stack of cannon balls on the lawn not far from the monument. It's a beautiful monument and the ornate wrought iron fence gives the corner the look of a cemetery. This is deservedly a five star memorial- for its aesthetic appeal and its historic significance.