I've had four names over the last 200 or so years…read more I was a leading manufacturer of bells. Who am I? I am East Hampton, CT. 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 front of Town Hall on East High Street and is more or less across the street from a McDonalds. It was dedicated in 1975 and is in pretty good condition. The full inscription reads: Incorporated 1767 East Hampton was first settled in 1710, when Gideon Goffe and his family located in an area along the Connecticut River which later became established as the parish of Middle Haddam. Families from the locality moved eastward and settled in the hills surrounding Lake Poctopang, and in 1746 named their community East Hampton. In 1767, the town was incorporated as Chatham in honor of the Earl of Chatham in England for his support of the American colonies at that time. The name of the town was changed to East Hampton in 1915. Historically, bell manufacturing, mining and shipbuilding enterprises within the town stood exemplary of early American industry. Erected by the Town of East Hampton and the Connecticut Historical Commission 1975

With every list of data, something has to be first and something has to be last…read more With every list of race finishers, someone has to be the fastest and someone has to be the slowest. And with every list of historical events, (say the settling of a town?), one has to be the earliest and one has to be the latest. Which brings us to the Town of Wethersfield, whose marker proudly states is the "Most Auncient Towne in Connecticut". How ancient? Well would you believe 1634! That's a whole lot of a long time ago... Located on a strip of grass between Town Hall and its parking lot behind the Silas Deane Highway, this is a two-sided marker from the CT Historical Commission in the familiar white lettering on a blue background. The marker has the same text on both sides. The marker dates to 1976 and is in pretty good shape, but is starting to show some slight streaking damage from the elements.

I was strolling around the grounds of the State Capitol this week and was just blown away by the…read moretremendous bounty of artwork, statues, and monuments all over the property. Shorty after you enter the grounds, you'll see a monument dedicated to a very distinguished looking gentleman. He wears a three-piece suit, has a neat and tightly cropped beard, has his left hand jammed in a front pocket, and his right hand is tucked in his vest. The gentleman in the statue is Richard Hubbard, and the short and sweet inscription on the base says "lawyer, orator, and statesman". He had an amazing career as a public servant! He graduated from Yale in 1839, became a member of the CT bar in 1842, joined the CT House of Representatives in 1842, became the prosecuting attorney for Hartford County in 1846, was elected to Congress in 1867, and in 1877 became the state's 48th Governor. This bronze statue was dedicated on June 9, 1890. The statue and plaque could use some restoration, it has some very noticeable staining in many places, especially on the governor's trousers...

This plaque memorializes another example of the many quiet heroes America has had over the…read morecenturies. Imagine this scenario..... a CT teacher named Prudence Crandall opens a school for young women of color. The CT General Assembly passes a law making what she did illegal. Crandall is arrested and jailed. Her plight became a national story, drawing abolitionist support from all over the country. The court ruling was overturned after a two year legal battle but the school eventually was forced to close because of harassment aimed at its young students. Years later, the state awarded her restitution for the way she was treated. This incredible story took place in Canterbury CT. The plaque's inscription reads: Prudence Crandall Where You Are Standing on May 24, 1833 The Connecticut General Assembly passes the Black Law expressly forbidding Prudence Crandall from recruiting African-American women for her school in Canterbury. Prudence refuses to obey the Black Law and is arrested and jailed. Her case is taken up by the Abolition Movement to attract nationwide attention to the injustices of slavery and prejudice. After almost two years of legal struggles and harassment of her students, Prudence's conviction is overturned by the Connecticut Supreme Court meeting in this place, and in 1838 the Black Law is repealed here. Even so, Prudence is forced to close her school for fear of her student's safety. Towards the end of her life, the General Assembly meeting here awards Prudence a pension to compensate her for the injustices done to her. The inscription is engraved on a metal scroll in front of the Old Statehouse. It's on your right side as you face the entrance.

A beautiful work of historical art. Commemorating important Connecticut events. Without the power…read moreof the yelp check in, I might have not noticed it, as I have walked right by it many times. Something to look for when you are visiting the old state house.

This is a 2-sided marker from the CT Historical Commission in the familiar white lettering on a…read moreblue background. It's located in the town green where Main Street intersects with Hebron Avenue. Glastonbury, CT was named after Glastonbury, England. The town was chartered in 1693 and included some land spun off from Wethersfield, CT and some land purchased from local Indians. Some local historical tidbits include a) Gideon Welles, President Lincoln's Secretary of the Navy, was born in Glastonbury, b) Glastonbury manufactured gunpowder for the American Revolution, well at least until the factory blew up in 1777, c) Glastonbury mills were powered by water and cranked out cotton, wool, and paper, d) ship building was a big industry, e) America's first manufacturer of shaving soap hailed from Glastonbury, and other local products included f) anchors, pigskins, peaches and chickens. Glastonbury has a rich history of supporting human rights and social equality. Twenty-three years before the Emancipation Proclamation, the women of Glastonbury submitted the first anti-slavery petition to congress in 1840. Ever hear of Glastonbury's Smith Sisters? I hadn't, but apparently they were among America's first proponents of women's rights. I worked in Glastonbury for over ten years. It's a very nice town with a rich history that is well described on this marker. It's in a very pretty place on the town green, with winding paths and benches and a big fountain. The marker was dedicated in 1976 for the bicentennial. The paint on the marker is starting to fade a little, but it still looks to be in decent condition

Know your Bible? OK, prove it…read more What City near Jerusalem was home to siblings Mary, Martha, and Lazarus? Need another hint- it was also home to Simon the Leper. The answer is Bethany, the namesake for this town of around 6,000 in Connecticut's New Haven County. In front of Town Hall is this 2-sided marker from the CT Historical Commission, in the familiar white lettering on a blue background. It has different inscriptions on both sides. The marker was dedicated in 1981 and is in very good condition. The blue background is fairly bright with no signs of fading or peeling. The full inscription reads: Bethany In 1738 Amity Parish in New Haven and Milford, including most of present-day Woodbridge and Bethany, was incorporated by the General Assembly of Connecticut Colony. The earliest schoolhouse was built in 1750 in the northern half of Amity Parish. It was located first at Rocky Corner, near the intersection of Meyer and Old Amity Roads. In 1762 the northern part of the Parish was made a distinct ecclesiastical society and was named Bethany for the Biblical village at the foot of the Mount of Olives near Jerusalem. In 1832, by act of the General Assembly, Bethany Parish was separated from Woodbridge and incorporated as the Town of Bethany. The Straitsville area was taken in 1844, together with parts of Oxford and Waterbury, to become Naugatuck. In 1871, also as a result of legislative action, the western area became part of Beacon Falls, incorporated as a town with portions added from Oxford, Naugatuck, and Seymour. Some notable examples of architecture dating from the period before incorporation of the town still stand in the vicinity and are attributed to David Hoadley (1774 - 1839) of Waterbury, a self-taught builder-architect who became a leading designer of church buildings in the first decades of the 19th century. His skill in domestic construction is displayed in the Beecher (or Hoadley) House of 1807 with very fine detail both on the exterior and in the central hall and rooms of the interior. Christ Church, Episcopal, dating from 1809, is also from the hand of Hoadley. During its construction, services were held in the upstairs ballroom of the Beecher House. The church is little changed on the outside, but the interior reflects extensive alterations made in accordance with changing taste over the last one hundred years. Regarded as the high point of Hoadley's achievement is United (North) Church of 1814 on the New Haven Green. Erected by the Town of Bethany and the Connecticut Historical Commission 1981 157 CT towns done, 13 to go

The tiny town of Warren, CT sent 43 men to fight in the Revolutionary War. It was named after…read moreGeneral Warren, a hero of that war who was slain at the Battle of Bunker Hill. The Warren Historical Marker spotlights that connection to America's War for Independence and the value the town placed on education and the world of academia. It's a two-sided marker from the CT Historical Commission with the familiar white lettering on a blue background. You'll see it on a grassy stretch of land more or less across the street from Town Hall. The sign dates to 1980, and its condition shows some signs of wear and tear -staining, fading, and peeling, especially on the front side. Side two is in pretty good condition. The full inscription reads: This area was settled in 1737 as part of the Town of Kent. A separate ecclesiastical society called the Society of East Greenwich, established in 1750, led to the founding of a church in 1756 and a separate town in 1786. It was named in honor of General Joseph Warren, hero of the Revolutionary War, who was slain in the battle of Bunker Hill. In the first century and a half of its life, Warren not only sent forty-three of its men into that war but later, even though engaged mainly in farming, the Town became known as an educational center. Five private schools and academies produced fifteen ministers and educators. Among them were Charles G. Finney, revivalist and president of Oberlin College 1851-1866, and Julian M. Sturtevant, minister and president of Illinois College 1844-1876. During a half century commencing in 1772, more than 2837 Warren emigrants took part in settling new territories to the north and west. The population of the town had increased to approximately 1100 by the year 1810 but decreased to a low of 303 in 1930 with the decline of agriculture and the local iron industry. Subsequent regrowth to 990 by 1979 was based on residential development and recreational features including Lake Waramaug, several inns, and a state park and forest. In 1963 Warren resident Eric Sloane, well-known American artist and author, revived countrywide the custom of celebrating our nation's independence by the simultaneous ringing of bells on July 4th. The focal point of the revival was the bell in the steeple of the Warren Congregational Church. The old one-room brick schoolhouse, built in 1784, was in continuous use for 140 years. In 1968 it was presented to the Town by Frank Reinhold. The Brick School and the Warren Academy have been restored and furnished with authentic articles of an earlier time, and are open by appointment for public visitation. Erected by the Town of Warren the Warren Historical Society and the Connecticut Historical Commission 1980

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.