When I was a senior in high school I wrote a research paper on the Underground Railroad, I was…read morepretty happy with the way it came out (I got an A or an A+). I remember that the paper was pretty popular among my friends, because a few years later it ended up being copied and made appearances at colleges in Texas and Florida. I hadn't really thought much about the Underground Railroad in a long time. But I came face-to-face with this incredible chapter of American history when I stumbled upon this monument on the grounds of the New Milford Historical Society. Litchfield County CT was a hotbed of abolitionist activity - both Harriet Beecher Stowe and John Brown lived here. There were railroad "stations" throughout the area, including New Milford, on the secretive route to Canada. This somber monument to the Underground Railroad was dedicated on November 17, 2013. That date was chosen because it represented the 150th anniversary of Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. It is an 18-inch high and 20-inch wide marker carved of granite with a broken chain over the marker. The marker is directly in front of a large monument honoring President Lincoln and New Milford's Civil War veterans. The broken chain sculpture was created by local artist Ray Crawford, and he entitled it "A Rough Road to Freedom". The marker contains a plaque whose inscription reads: History of the Underground Railroad This plaque is dedicated to the memory of slaves. In the middle of the 1800's, the Underground Railroad was organized with a true commitment to freedom. New Milford, Connecticut was a road to freedom used to escape into Canada. In 1865 the Civil War ends, and also the Underground Railroad. The 13th Amendment was added to the United States Constitution abolishing slavery permanently. The plaque ends with line from the chorus of an old spiritual (circa 1865) "Slavery Chain Done Broke At Last"

Beautiful castle Visited over the winter. Worn down and decrepit. Amazing pictures with an eerie…read morefeeling.

Nothing much to see at this moment. A stone castle left in ruins, now adorned with fences,…read moregraffitis and boards. Just a short walk from nearby park where you could park your car.

If you've ever seen the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C., did you notice his hands? One hand is…read moreclenched in a fist, while the other is open and outstretched, resting leisurely on the arm of his chair. As a kid, I remember hearing that it showed Lincoln's tough and compassionate sides. This spectacular monument honors two subjects. The first is one of our country's most iconic figures, and the second was to the New Milford soldiers that served in the Civil War. The monument was dedicated in 1912 and was the gift of Captain Edward Marsh of the Second Connecticut Volunteers Heavy Artillery. The memorial consists of a four sided base decorated with two plaques and two sculpted panels. The base is topped with a bust of the President's head and shoulders. One of the featured plaques reads "In Loving Memory of the Soldiers and Sailors of the Union Army and Navy 1861 1865, and of Abraham Lincoln President of the United States. Besides being in many skirmishes the New Milford troops were engaged in the battles of Gettysburg, Cold Harbor, Petersburg, Opeqvan. Fisher's Hill, Cedar Creek, Sailors Creek". You'll also see two sculpted panels of a soldiers raising a flag and blowing a bugle, and a large oval plaque inscribed with the Gettysburg Address. That eloquent speech ends with this phrase "we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain--that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom--and that government: of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."

This 6 foot tall marble Union soldier stands on top of a 26 foot tall granite base. The monument is…read morepatterned after Hadrian's Column in Rome. The solder is wearing a Union cap, knee-length coat and cape with his right arm wrapped around a flag with a sheathed sword in his left hand. The tower base is inscribed "To our brothers. Beloved, honored, revered, who died that our country might live." And on the lower base, "The defenders of the Union." And spiraled around the column, the battlefields Bull Run, Wilderness, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Gettysburg, Chancellorsville, Appomattox, Petersburg and Port Hudson. The monument was installed in 1880. There is street parking nearby (you can see my van in one of my pictures). [Review 18392 overall - 58 in Connecticut - 1914 of 2022.]

Phineas Taylor (P.T.) Barnum was quite a character…read more He is best known as a bombastic showman, promoting elaborate hoaxes, human oddities and the Barnum & Bailey Circus. He allegedly coined the phrase ""There's a sucker born every minute". But he was more than the promoter of the Fiji Mermaid and General Tom Thumb the dwarf. He was also a politician -serving twice in the Connecticut state legislature and once as the mayor of Bridgeport, CT. As mayor, he fought to improve the quality of Bridgeport's water, brought gas street lights to his city, and helped found Bridgeport Hospital. He was an abolitionist and spoke these flowery words against slavery - "A human soul, that God has created and Christ died for, is not to be trifled with. It may tenant the body of a Chinaman, a Turk, an Arab, or a Hottentot--it is still an immortal spirit". This terrific sculpture, located in his home city of Bethel, CT, shows Mr. Barnum looking very spiffy in a top coat and bow tie. He is holding his top hat triumphantly in the air, as if he had just introduced some spectacular act to a packed house. An inscription below the sculpture reads: Born Bethel, CT 1810 "I was born and reared in an atmosphere of merriment my natural bias was developed and strengthened by the associations of my youth; and I feel myself entitled to record the sayings and doings of the wags and eccentricities of Bethel because they partly explain the causes which have made me what I am." Dedicated by the Bethel Historical Society on the 26th of September 2010 Erected 2010 by Bethel Historical Society.

Amazing work of art . The artist David Gesualdi really captured the essence of PTBarnumread more

Located in front of the Bridgewater Historical Society, the Historical Marker is easily accessible…read morewith parking available behind the building. The parking entrance is closer to the library. There is also a nearby sign for a Blue Star Memorial put up by the Roxbury-Bridgewater Garden Club. The actual historical marker reads: In 1722 Samuel Clark, an original proprietor of New Milford, had a portion of his share of land surveyed in the southerly part of that town known as Shepaug Neck. Although this later became known as Bridgewater, it was not incorporated as a separate town until 1856. Among the earliest settlers was Joseph Treat, grandson of Robert Treat, a colonial governor of Connecticut. Others included the four sons of Jeremiah Canfield, Sr. Descendents of these families played a prominent roll in the early history of the area. The first school district was established in 1758. By the latter part of the 18th century petitions were made to New Milford for a separate ecclesiastical society, a request granted in 1803. A meeting house, the present Congregational church, was erected in 1807. Most early settlers were Congregationalists, but other faiths were represented as well. Until about 1800 a Baptist church stood on what is now called Christian Street. Episcopal worship began in private homes around 1810, and a church was built in 1836. Present St. Mark's church was erected in 1859. Early Bridgewater was divided into several districts, each having its own store, school, mills, blacksmith and woodworking shops. Sheep were raised and tobacco grown. Dairy farming developed in the 19th century. Hat making flourished 1823 to 1870, when Glover Sanford & Sons had a factory on Hat Shop Hill. For some years Bridgewater was the boyhood home of Captain William B Burnham, founder of the American Hawaiian Steamship Company. His generous bequests made possible the library and school on Main Street that bear his name. The town was also the birthplace and place of business of Charles B. Thompson, a leading pioneer in mail-order selling. Bridgewater today is largely residential.

Proving that Bruce K. will review anything, here's a five star review of a rock. It's an…read moreinteresting rock but it is nonetheless a rock. "This balanced rock is estimated to weigh 60 tones. Geologists refer to it as an "erractic." The boulder is composted of a type of granite that does not match rock normally found in this vicinity and is thought to have been deposited here during the glacial period. It has been suggested in recent years that this may be a dolmen - a Celtic ceremonial stone used to memorialize the dead." There is a small parking lot. I do not believe that there is lighting so you'll want to visit during daylight. [Review 1702 of 2024 - 547 in New York - 22725 overall]

I had no idea what this place was until my husband explained it to me and showed me a few podcasts…read moreand documentaries about it. We were super excited to see the sign when driving through one day so we of course decided to stop. Rating this a five star because it was a very intimate and cool experience since we were the only ones there, but there is really not much to it besides the sign and the rock itself. If you haven't heard about balance rock, you should definitely look into it because it is really cool!!

"Well, she was an American girl Raised on promises…read moreAnd if she had to die tryin', she Had one little promise she was gonna keep" (Tom Petty) Sybil Ludington (April 5, 1761 - February 26, 1839) was a real-life American girl, there's no doubt about that. What is in doubt is whether or not her heroic exploits as a female Paul Revere actually took place or not. Legend has it that as a 16-yer old she rode all night on horseback to rally the militia after the British sacked and burned Danbury, CT. The marker near the monument states: On April 26, 1777 this brave sixteen year-old girl rode through the enemy-infested countryside for thirty miles in Putnam County, New York, to warn the local militia that British troops were attacking and plundering Danbury, Connecticut. Unfortunately, modern historians say there is little evidence that her alleged fantastic display of courage and patriotism actually happened at all. So was young Sybil an inspirational example of patriotism, or is her story an example of an embellished urban legend?

"On April 26, 1777, this brave sixteen year-old girl rode through the enemy-infested countryside…read morefor thirty miles in Putnam County New York, to warn the local militia that British troops were attacking and plundering Danbury Connecticut." Sybil Ludington is recognized as a heroine of the American Revolutionary War though there are some questions of the story from contemporary scholars. It is almost too good to be true. As for the statue, the artist has done an... interesting... representation of her face. [Review 18393 overall - 59 in Connecticut - 1915 of 2022.]

Danbury, CT was attacked by British troops in 1777 when nineteen houses, a church and twenty-two…read morebarns were burned to the ground, killing three patriotic defenders. What a shame that the description of this dramatic event is found on a marker that is in such poor shape. I saw lots of faded blue and white and lots of general deterioration. This is a two sided marker from the CT Historical Commission in the familiar white lettering on a blue background. The marker has different inscriptions on each side. It's located in Elmwood Park at the intersection of Main Street and Wooster Street. The full inscription reads: Eight families came from Norwalk in 1685 to settle this area which the Indians called Pahquioque. They built their first homes a half mile south of here and made this green their common. The General Court in October 1687 decreed the name "Danbury" although the settlers had chosen "Swampfield." Beans and other crops helped make Danbury an inland trading center by 1750 with a population of two thousand. At the start of the American Revolution this town became a hospital and supply base. General Tyron led a British force of two thousand in a raid on Danbury on April 26 - 27, 1777. Three young men, one a Negro, died in defense of the town near the north end of the green. The British burned nineteen houses, a church, twenty-two barns and many supplies. General David Wooster, commanding the American forces which set upon the British, was wounded at Ridgefield and died and was buried here. The street to the west bears his name. Hat making became Danbury's foremost industry after independence. Until the 1950's, Danbury was known as the Hat City of the World. Charles Ives, famed American composer, was born here in 1874. His birthplace has been preserved by the Danbury Scott - Fanton Museum and Historical Society. Erected 1974 by City of Danbury, Connecticut Historical Commission.