Hard as Steel... to Write First Steel Mill in US, Simsbury This is the oddest thing. Every now and again, I'd be talking Simsbury history to someone. Y'know, like we all do at parties and such. And I'd hear, "the first steel mill in the country was in Simsbury," and I'd be like, "oh yeah? cool" and file it away for … [Read more...]
Adjutant William Campbell Memorial
Bloody Hell Adjutant William Campbell Memorial, West Haven November 2024 I've had this memorial on my radar for a while. I always had it in my head as the only memorial in the US honoring an enemy combatant. Which, if true, is both weird and fascinating. But now that I've been to the Adjutant William Campbell … [Read more...]
First Emergency Phone Call in US
"De Train, De Train!" First Emergency Phone Call in US, Simsbury & Hartford Beyond the dubious nature of this claim, it bothers me that Simsbury claims it at all. There's a very good chance this happened in what is now Bloomfield (but was Simsbury back then) and more importantly, the phone call in question actually … [Read more...]
American Mural Project
AMPed Up, Up, Up... American Mural Project, Winchester September 2024 Connecticut museum visit #524. Also, this is billed as the "largest indoor collaborative artwork in the world." I love big, ambitious projects. Heck, you're reading a very big ambitious project right now. Look at that first italicized bit … [Read more...]
Prospect: A Town of Lies
Prospecting for Truth Prospect, Connecticut: A Town of Lies You are all familiar with the Connecticut town of Prospect, right? Right?! After all, it's the "Best Small Town in Connecticut!" Right? Right?! Well... no, it's not. But I love that story. Which I only found because I was looking into other … [Read more...]
West Street Grill
American Pasta-ral West Street Grill, Litchfield November 2023 So many garbage "best of" lists come out so often from so many outlets, it's best to ignore them all. Unless, of course, that source is a well-researched "1,000 Places to See Before You Die" book that spans the entire country by Patricia Shultz. … [Read more...]
“The Bones From the Well”
Well, Well, Well... The First Scientifically Described Dinosaur Bones found in North America, East Windsor December 2023 In 2014, I visited The Academy Museum in East Windsor. It's a slightly better than average town history museum with all the usual stuff, but tucked away in a corner I was startled to find a … [Read more...]
Polmart Post Office
Polishing Off Another Superlative Polmart Post Office, New Britain In a sense, we could find infinite things that are only in Connecticut. Like, "only Whole Foods that used to be a Wild Oats that's only a mile or two away from two other Whole Foods" (West Hartford) or "Only town that is shaped like a wallaby" (New … [Read more...]
First Safety Fuse in the US
Slow Burn First Safety Fuse in the US, Simsbury The Ensign-Bickford Company of Simsbury is responsible for the early manufacture and widespread use of the safety fuse in America. Developed in 1831 by Cornishman William Bickford, the Miner’s Safety Fuse was introduced to Farmington Valley mining operations in 1836. … [Read more...]
NHL: Charles W. Morgan
CT National Historic Landmark Charles W. Morgan Stonington This old whaling ship was built in 1841 and had a massively successful whaling career for 80 years. It has served as a museum ship since the 1940's. It has been a National Historic Landmark since 1966. The entire Mystic Seaport living museum was built up … [Read more...]
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