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"

I love the stone tower! The first time I came here the place seemed enchanted, covered with…read morethousands of ladybugs flying around and all over the actual tower. They were also bees and other things buzzing around dragonflies and such. That was in October of 2024. We went back yesterday (April 7th 2026) there wasn't anything flying around, but it still was a magical place to go. lol. It's a great place to go for people who don't really wanna do a huge hike. Very easily accessible and pretty.

"All along the watchtower Princes kept the view…read moreWhile all the women came and went Barefoot servants, too" (Bob Dylan) Want to take a very cool and very short hike that ends at a spectacular water tower? If so, you'll love this 15 minute hike that runs about .6 mile out and back. There's a fascinating history behind Camp Columbia State Forest. Between 1885 and 1983 Columbia University held engineering and surveying classes on the property. In fact, a summer program at the camp was mandatory for engineering students. I also learned that Columbia University President Dwight Eisenhower spent time at the camp watching football practices and hunting. Some important stuff was invented and created here. Want an example? Sure you do. Well how about the concrete roof over Madison Square Garden? That engineering breakthrough was pioneered here. World War I saw the US Army train their officers and hold mock infantry assaults here. Student interest in the "Camp Experience" fell in the 1960s and combined with changes to the engineering curriculum, Columbia ended their use of the Camp. For the next 20 years or so, they used it on special occasions but eventually closed it in 1983. By 1989, many of the camp buildings had deteriorated so badly that the town declared them as public hazards and they were demolished in a controlled burn training exercise. In 2000, the state of Connecticut bought the property for $2.1 million. The outbound trail has a very slight incline, and be careful of the tree roots and rocks, or you may end up on your face. Also, be careful of a few downed trees that rudely block the trail. We saw two very cool things on the trail. The first was an old abandoned building, probably a camp meeting house. The roof was partially open from wear and tear, The front door was wide open, and we saw there was quite a bit of spray painted graffiti inside. The other cool thing we saw was a 60-foot cylindrical water tower with an observation platform, a gift of Columbia's Class of 1906. The front door to the tower was open as well, and if you're more adventurous than we were, you can walk up those stairs to another door that leads to an exterior cylindrical staircase. The scenery along the trail is very pretty with lots of wild flowers and berry bushes. (The park is on West St in Morris, CT. I submitted the address correction to Yelp)

Bantam River Park is across from the former Bantam Town Hall. It's small but cute. There's a lovely…read moregarden in the spring, and currently signs explaining former historical landmarks in Bantam. I'm not sure if it's just me, but I forget some of these small towns used to have THINGS, instead of just shopping and restaurants. Bantam had factories like many other small towns. They made horse carriages, one of which is on display in a small barn. There's a waterfall you can admire, although I believe access is restricted by gated fence.

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."

New Preston Falls has a 20 ft drop and is located behind some shops. There were a handful of…read moreparking spots and a small rock to stand on to look at it. It's located on the Aspetuck River. If you're in the area and love waterfalls, it's worth checking out. I love seeing the rushing water and the beautiful sounds. We were exploring the town and stumbled upon this behind some shops.

Bizarre with a capital "B"…read more There is a Timexpo Museum in Waterbury that tells the story of the Timex company, and the history of watches and time. But as important as that might be, they are nothing when compared to the totally cool 40' tall Easter Island Moai statue that graces a strip of grass in front of the museum. What exactly this statue has to do with the history of time, I don't know. What I do know is this- I pity the poor drunken fool who might be unfortunate enough to be stumbling down Union Street when he glances up and sees this 40 foot tall beast blocking his path. I think that would sober up our poor guy pretty fast.

Discover the Easter Island Moai…read more Forget your bucket list. Don't wait till you can't climb the hill at the quarry to one of the world's most amazing places, Rano Raraku on isolated Easter Island. A giant Moai is waiting to be freed from a thousand years of captivity. What was the last carver's thoughts as he walked away from his final creation? Take a flight or a cruise to French Polynesia and visit Easter Island. Sign up with Tiare Edmunds of Easter Island Guides for a one or two or day tour and see what time left behind. Tiare is the only Rapanui native guide with direct descendents to the original natives. She leads you on an adventure back in time in her air conditioned vehicle. Easter Island is situated on a triangle of volcanic rock in the South Pacific over 2,000 miles from Tahiti and Chile. It's a living outdoor museum and Tiare has the E ticket pass. We were picked up at the pier and spent two incredible days exploring and learning about what might of happened to a thriving culture that almost lead to extinction. While historically no one knows exactly what happened to leave behind over 900 massive Moai, Tiare will help you understand the culture and the people. She also brought along a picnic lunch on both days of arugula from her garden on fresh sandwiches and olives and Rapa Nui locally brewed beer. What a treat. Looking out over the ocean, drinking a cold beer, having a great lunch and talking with a real local historian about her family's history. A truly memorable time. Don't wait.

Bulls Bridge is a historic covered bridge in Kent, CT. It goes over the Housatonic River and was…read morebuilt in 1842. It is still open for vehicles to drive over it. There is only one other covered bridge in the state that still allows vehicles to drive over it. There is a small parking lot nearby. You can walk on the bridge but it is very tight and there are no sidewalks, just becareful for oncoming traffic. The bridge is beautiful and the view of the river is great; there are small openings inside the bridge to view. There are trails nearby and you can even see the dam spillway. I'm a fan of history and covered bridges, so this was definitely worth a visit and a bucket list item for me. I reduced a star because it can be potentially hazardous for pedestrians. It's only one lane so vehicles from both directions would have to stop at the stop sign and let one another pass. Overall, a beautiful and well made structure!

There are not a lot of surviving covered bridges in the northeast (only three in Connecticut!) so…read moreit was pretty awesome to be able to visit this one that carries Bull's Bridge Road over the Housatonic River in Connecticut, very close to the New York border. The bridge was completed in 1842 with a Town lattice design. The bridge is a single lane and remains open to vehicular traffic. I opted to park the Sprinter van in a nearby parking area that acts as a trailhead. The bridge can be walked as a pedestrian but is not designed for such, so be on the lookout for cars and be sure to make your presence known. There was originally a 6 cent toll here but that is obviously long gone. The other two bridges are the West Cornwall Covered Bridge and the Comstock's Bridge. [Round number review 1700 of 2024 - 103 in Connecticut - 22723 overall]

A warm, English-Tudor style cottage built in the 1920s on the top of a meadow surrounded by…read moregardens. Fields filled with birds, butterflies and dragonflies. I wish I could describe it better... I'm not going to, because I'm tired. I guess you can always just look at the photos. Unless you decide to actually go and experience it for yourself. Either way...

Since moving to CT, we discovered a great program that gives a little incentive for visiting a…read morenumber of CT state parks, the DEEP Sky's The Limit Program. In 2017, Topsmead was among the parks listed, so we decided to go give it a visit. Winter was not the best time to visit, and it's hard to give it a really good/fair rating. The main farmhouse area was closed for the season, and the weather wasn't really great for hiking. It would be a great spot for cross country skiing in the winter, though. The outstanding negative at the time of our visit were the state of the toilets. They're pit toilets, which is fine, but they were not dug at all deeply, and if not for the freezing weather, I can imagine it would be rather unpleasantly fragrant. We'll definitely be visiting again and reevaluating at some point.

This is a very inconveniently positioned marker. At first I thought it must be on the New Milford…read moreGreen, which isn't great for parking but usually you can find a spot within a reasonable walking distance. Ah, no! This sign is off the Green, in front of what I believe may be the historical society, uphill, resting on a grassy knoll. There is side street parking, if you can grab a spot. (Full disclosure - as a traumatized driving student who learned to drive on stick, I still don't care for parking on hills so I have a bias) But alas, the spots were all full. It looks like there may be a road or parking lot in the back, but after driving around twice I'm no closer to finding it. I settled for admiring the sign from the road before driving away for approaching cars. For anyone who knows the area and wants to know why I didn't park on the Green - between the Green and the sign is the intersection from Hades. Usually the turn taking at a four way intersection is an automatic cultural thing, but people kept on driving like there were no other cars but theirs. A thought for New Milford city planning - THERE is a spot for a rotary, the drivers coming from 202 are already treating it like one.

Want some New Milford history nuggets? Sure you do!…read more In 1703 some businessmen from Milford, CT bought this land from the Potatuck Indians, and cleverly named the land "New Milford". The first white inhabitant of the area was a gent named Zachariah Ferriss. I wonder if he was a big wheel? After the shootings at Lexington and Concord, a very impressive total of 285 men of New Milford enlisted in the Continental Army. A bridge over the nearby Housatonic River was built way back in 1737 This is a 2-sided marker from the CT Historical Commission in the familiar white lettering on a blue background. It's located on the sloping lawn of the New Milford Historical Society. The marker was dedicated in 1976. The front side is showing quite a bit of fading and streaking on the white lettering. The reverse side is in pretty good condition.