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...]
Eli Terry Jr. Water Wheel
Poppin' Wheelies Eli Terry Jr. Water Wheel, Plymouth I'm sure I've written before how Plymouth really should have just been called Terryville. At some point I looked at a map and realized that the "Terryville section of Plymouth" is pretty much the whole of Plymouth. And, of course, everyone from Plymouth says … [Read more...]
Abington Social Library
Book It Abington Social Library, Pomfret This is a US Oldest as well as a US First. Next time you're tooling around Abington (Pomfret) looking for We-Lik-It Ice Cream - why else would you be here? - and pass the "oldest now standing meeting house in Connecticut", look two buildings north for the Abington Social … [Read more...]
National Iwo Jima Memorial
Oorah! National Iwo Jima Memorial, Newington & New Britain We all have "those things" that we live near that we just never check out. Be it a museum or a hike or restaurant or whatever. I think the unconscious thinking is, "I live nearby, so it's easy to get to, so I'll make the effort someday." The National … [Read more...]
Old Derby Uptown Burying Ground
Derb Nap Old Derby Uptown Burying Ground, Derby December 2022 There's a lot of CTMQ-worthy stuff crammed into tiny little Derby. When I began compiling all of that stuff, I was rather surprised to learn that the "oldest public burying ground in the US" is located here, on a sweeping hillside above the Naugatuck … [Read more...]
The Yalesville Underpass
Just Truss Me On This One The Yalesville Underpass, Wallingford Truss me, truss Wikipedia, truss Wallingford's town website... truss the circle of claimants who all claim the same unverifiable thing: Built in 1838 for the Hartford and New Haven Railroad by William MacKenzie, it is reported to be the first skew … [Read more...]
World’s Tallest Uncle Sam
MAGA World's Tallest Uncle Sam, Danbury August 2022 The funniest thing to me about this incongruous giant Uncle Sam is that it's not the "world's tallest" because there's another 38-foot tall Uncle Sam in Michigan as I write. So what did the showman mayor of Danbury say? When the statue was officially … [Read more...]
Hamilton Park
Hub of Waterbury Hamilton Park, Waterbury There is a lot of history at Hamilton Park in Waterbury. History I'm not going to get too deep into at all. It's just an old town park. It doesn't really rise to the level necessary to get the full CTMQ treatment. And you won't believe this, but it also doesn't even … [Read more...]
Ivoryton Playhouse
Please Tell Me They've Done "The Elephant Man" Here Essex (Google Maps location) June 2016 Connecticut is home to a slew of historic theaters. Many of them offer tours that present the buildings almost as museums - as they should. The idiom "if these walls could talk" applies to every one of these places as much … [Read more...]
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