"The Soft Parade has now begun Listen to the engines hum…read morePeople out to have some fun A cobra on my left Leopard on my right" (The Soft Parade by the Doors) Jim Morrison's bizarre lyrics really seem to fit this bizarre marker. I've seen a lot of the State of CT Historical Markers, but never before one that celebrates a parade. 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, and is located in the heart of Wallingford's central business district near 23 South Main Street. It's in excellent condition with a bright blue background and crisp white lettering. The marker is dated 1992. The full inscription reads: The Parade Ground Few things better symbolize the history and evolution of a New England town than the town green. Set aside as the town "common" in the original 1670 plan of development, Wallingford's town green, or "Parade Ground," is as old as the community itself. In those early days the community centered round North and South Main Streets. By placing the town common and adjacent meetinghouse here, Puritan founders hoped to symbolize the shared values, goals, idea, and beliefs which had spurred their migration to the New World and which now guided this new community. During the nineteenth century, local industrialists built stately homes along Main Street and a commercial district along Center Street. The town green became a central park for the bustling urban center. Today those two purposes are united with the town green serving as both a park and a symbol of the community. Erected by Wallingford Visitors Council 1992

Some of the towns in Connecticut are ridiculously old. What is now Wallingford was added onto the…read moreNew Haven Colony over 350 years ago. 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, and is located on a strip of grass in Wallingford's downtown near the intersection of North Main Street and Center Street. It was dedicated in 1976 and the blue paint and white lettering are overall in pretty good shape, but there is small areas of peeling at the top left and a larger peeled section at the top right. The inscription is not one of the more scintillating ones I have read. Judge for yourself -- Wallingford This territory was purchased by the New Haven Colony in 1638 from Montowese, son of an Indian sachem. It was named after Wallingford, England, and was settled in 1670 by planters from New Haven and Stratford. Its boundaries originally encompassed present-day Cheshire, Meriden, and part of Prospect. From 1766 when the "True Sons of Liberty" order was formed in the town, the cause of liberty was of foremost importance. A native son, Dr. Lyman Hall, was a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Originally agricultural, the town has made a lasting name for itself through the development of the silverware industry. Erected by the Town of Wallingford the Wallingford Historical Society and the Connecticut Historical Commission 1976

Courage Sacrifice Honor Determination…read more1959 1975 (Monument inscription) While looking for some background material on this monument, I found an excellent NY Times article from 1985, the year this monument was dedicated.. The small town of Wallingford sent 676 men and women to Vietnam. Twelve soldiers died there. Some of Wallingford's returning veterans wanted to build a Vietnam Memorial to honor the service of their colleagues. There was opposition from some folks of an "older generation of veterans" who didn't think the Vietnam vets deserved a monument. The article quoted a belief of some that "Losers don't deserve a monument". So the vets decided to pursue and fund the monument on their own. They raised $80,000 from T-shirt sales, car washes, garage sales, dinners and raffles. Local artists donated their services to help the monument become a reality. The design is striking- an eleven foot tall tilted V-shaped wedge of black granite. The artist who designed the monument said that the tilted angle represents "an inconclusive end to an undeclared war". The sides of the Wedge bear the names of hundreds of Wallingford's Vietnam vets. Some of the names are shadowed in a gold leaf to represent those Killed in Action. The V-shaped inscription reads: During the 16 years the war continued American Soldiers Sailors, Airmen and Marines fought with heroism and determination under some of the most difficult circumstances ever encountered by American armed forces. Tragically, upon their return home they received virtually no recognition for their service and sacrifice because of the raging controversy over United States policy in conducting the war. 300,000 were wounded in action 75,000 were permanently disabled 58,118 were killed in combat Later, thousands more would die as a result of gunshot wounds and the dioxin code named "agent orange" As of this date, November 11th, 1985, ten years after the fall of the Saigon government and twelve years after the removal of American ground forces from Vietnam, 2,489 brave Americans remain missing in action or held prisoners of war. They Are Not Forgotten

A really nice, out-of-the way park in a bucolic setting. The museum and restrooms were closed…read more(seasonal?), but there were lots and lots of joggers, walkers, bike riders, dog walkers, and roller bladers. The main path, which parallels the old lock, is paved, at least as far as we went in. Beautiful day, with plenty of outdoor benches. Only graffiti I saw was on wooden bridge by caretaker's house. A'hole(s). Otherwise, no litter, and well maintained.

So, the Lock 12 Historical Park is separate from the Farmington Canal Trail, it is a historical…read morepark just off of the trail in Cheshire. It is a pretty park, with bathroom facilities, but all of it could use a little bit of TLC. There aren't any interpretive signs to speak of explaining about the canal's history or even explaining the lock that is here. The lock itself is a bit overgrown and in need of restoration. The bathrooms are nice but could be in better condition. It really could be and should be more than it is, hopefully the town could put some funding into this park for improvements. It's a nice place to stop to use the bathroom, but not any sort of park that I would consider a destination in and of itself. And most important: being that how it's located just off a bicycle trail, there are no bike racks. That's a big oversight, IMO.

Wallingford is a quaint clean town. I have two friends that live there. Jim C. is a friend I made…read morethrough Yelp. My other Wallingford friend is a long time family friend and former co-worker. I had the honor of staying a couple days with Jim in 2018. It was the year I turned 70 and my dream was to ride on a motorcycle once again. I hadn't been on one since high school. Before the motorcycle ride Jim gave me a tour of Wallingford by car showing me the historic buildings and the town hall and government buildings. We also took a ride to a nearby vineyard. There's beautiful landscape around Wallingford that made me feel like I was in Kentucky. The restaurants are great. Jim knows the best ones like Supreme Seafood and Dad's Diner. I'm definitely recommending you visit this enchanting town. I'm sure looking forward to returning some day soon.

this was my first time visiting this part of Connecticut and I have to say that the whole area is…read morebeautiful. the town has beautiful farm area and a lot of large lakes if you like freshwater fishing or swimming.they also have a large downtown area with plenty of stores to shop in and restaurants to eat. Jim C took us on the tour of the area on the hilly and curvy roads and the scenery was beautiful.

Eri Woodbury was a Civil War Union soldier who drew his saber on four Confederate soldiers and…read moresingle handedly persuaded them to surrender. Harvey Barnum was a Vietnam era Marine. When his battalion was riddled by enemy fire, he tended to his commander's wounds, grabbed the radio from the dead radio operator, moved through enemy fire, organized the remnants of the battalion and safely evacuated them to safety. Both men were from Cheshire. Both men were awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor -our nation's "highest award for valor in action." In 1998, their hometown honored their patriotism with the dedication of a Medal of Honor Plaza and educational Living Classroom at the entrance to Bartlem Park, more or less across the street from Cheshire High School. The plaza has a 50 feet wide star on the ground constructed from bricks. The bricks have the names of hundreds of Cheshire veterans inscribed on them. The middle of the plaza has a black granite monument that looks like a podium or a lectern. It bears the names and ranks of Woodbury and Barnum. Stone benches are also set in the plaza, bearing their names as well. The Living Classroom is an interesting idea- there are five trees planted at the corners of the plaza star that have ties to historic places or events, like Gettysburg, Washington's Delaware crossing, and Connecticut's Constitution Oak. The lectern is inscribed on its sides with these words: The American Revolution War of 1812 Spanish-American War World War I World War II Korean War Gulf War Remembering The Many Sacrifices That Preserved Our Freedom Residents of Cheshire Heroes of the United States Medal of Honor Recipient 1st Lieutanant Harvey C. Barnum, Jr. U.S. Marines Vietnam Medal of Honor Recipient Sgt. Eri D. Woodbury 1st Vermont Cavalry Civil War

Baryte? Raise your…read morehand if you have ever heard of Baryte. Yeah, I thought so. I looked it up, it's a mineral related to barium sulfite. It's white and colorless and can be found in Cheshire, CT! That's just one of the nuggets of Cheshire trivia I found out from reading this marker. It's located in front of the Cheshire Historical Society. It's a two-sided marker from the CT Historical Commission in the familiar white lettering on a blue background. It has different inscriptions on each side. It dates to 1976 and is in fairly good condition. There is some peeling of the blue paint on the top of the front side, while the back side is in better condition. The full inscription reads: Settled in 1695 as Wallingford "West Farms", this area obtained status as the village of New Cheshire in 1723. It was incorporated as a town in 1780. Cheshire became famous for its agricultural productivity and light manufacturing. Copper was mined here in the eighteenth century, the mineral barytes in the nineteenth. The Farmington Canal was completed through town in 1825. Cheshire is renowned for the Episcopal Academy, now Cheshire Academy, founded in 1794 by Samuel Seabury, first Episcopal Bishop of Connecticut. Former students include financier John Pierpont Morgan, Jr.; Gideon Welles, Secretary of the Navy under President Lincoln; Civil War Admiral Andrew Foote; and Confederate General Joseph Wheeler. (Continued from other side) The Congregational Church was completed in 1827 to a design by David Hoadley, noted architect of New Haven. Among famous hostelries here were Beach Tavern, the Wallace and Munson Hotels, and the Waverly Inn. Cheshire is the site of the State Correctional Institution founded in 1910, and is the mother-town of Prospect, Connecticut, and Burton, Ohio, Among its famous sons are Governor Samuel A. Foote; Amos Doolittle, early silversmith and engraver; landscape artist John Frederick Kensett; Lambert Hitchcock, maker of popular chairs bearing his name; and Commodore Robert Hitchcock. Erected by the Cheshire American Revolution Bicentennial Committee the Town of Cheshire and the Connecticut Historical Commission 1976

The marker tells us that Middlefield was settled "around" 1700 by two Samuels and a Benjamin. When…read morewas the town chartered? How about two-hundred and seventy years later, in 1971! It also tells us via a gigantic list what was manufactured here over the years. How about lumber, snuff, black powder, knives, pistols, cotton products, grist, buttons, nails, iron wire, paper, and clothes wringers. That's quite an eclectic list! Now be honest, did you know what grist is? I didn't so I looked it up. It's a processed grain that is ground into meal or flour. This is a one-sided marker from the CT Historical Commission in the familiar white lettering on a blue background. It is fastened to an exterior wall near the main entrance of Middlefield Town Hall at 393 Jackson Hill Road. The marker was dedicated in 1981 and is in excellent condition