National Stuff

CTMQ is Going National!
(Not Really.)

People don’t think Connecticut has any national “stuff.” But we do. Heck, we finally have a (sort of) national park now with Coltsville National Historical Park in Hartford.

We also have our National Champion collegiate sports teams and trees and pizza of course. But what follows are the official nationally designated places in the state.

But there’s a lot more. The most important of these are probably the 60+ National Historic Landmarks that dot the state. But we also have a National Historic Trail and two National Scenic Trails (okay, parts of all three, but we’ll take it.) There are 8 National Natural Landmarks (more like 7.5), 2 National Scenic Byways and 2 National Heritage Areas (which is actually 2 halves of 2 areas). We also have 1 National Historic Site as well.

Note: I will not, not ever, attempt to do anything with the National Register of Historic Places places in Connecticut. Daniel Sterner handles them way better than anyone else in the world.

National Historic Landmarks (65)
National Historical Parks (2)
National Natural Landmarks (8)
National Scenic Byways (2)
National Heritage Corridor/Area (2)
National Scenic Trails (2)
National Historic Trails (2)
ASME & ASCE National Landmarks

National Historic Landmarks (65)

A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance. All NHLs are listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Out of more than 80,000 places on the National Register, however, only about 2,500 are NHLs. About half of ours in Connecticut are museums or at museums.

Here’s more on the program.

Barnum Museum, Bridgeport
Prudence Crandall House, Canterbury
The Steward’s House, Foreign Mission School, Cornwall
Stephen Tyng Mather Home, Darien
Old Newgate Prison and Copper Mine, East Granby
Ida Tarbell House, Easton
Birdcraft Museum & Sanctuary, Fairfield
Jonathan Sturges House, Fairfield
Austin F. Williams House, Farmington
Hill-Stead, Farmington
First Church, Farmington
Stanley-Whitman House, Farmington
Kimberly Mansion, Glastonbury
Bush-Holley House, Greenwich
Nautilus, Groton
Henry Whitfield House, Guilford
Coltsville Historic District, Hartford
Harriet Beecher Stowe House, Hartford
Henry Barnard House, Hartford
State Capitol Building, Hartford
Old State House, Hartford
Mark Twain House, Hartford
A. Everett Austin House, Hartford
William Williams House, Lebanon
John Trumbull birthplace, Lebanon
Mashantucket Pequot Reservation Archeological District, Ledyard
Tapping Reeve House and Law School, Litchfield
Oliver Wolcott House, Litchfield
Litchfield Historic District, Litchfield
Cheney Brothers Historic District, Manchester
Richard Alsop IV House, Middletown
Samuel Wadsworth Russell House, Middletown
Fort Shantok Archeological District, Montville
Philip Johnson Glass House, New Canaan
John Rogers Studio, New Canaan
Grove Street Cemetery, New Haven
Connecticut Hall, New Haven
New Haven Green Historic District, New Haven
Lafayette B. Mendel House, New Haven
Yale Bowl, New Haven
Russell Henry Chittenden House, New Haven
James Dwight Dana House, New Haven
Othniel C. Marsh House, New Haven
CT Agricultural Experimental Station, New Haven
Site of the First Telephone Exchange, New Haven (removed)
Monte Christo Cottage, New London
Lockwood-Mathews Mansion, Norwalk
Florence Griswold House, Old Lyme
Charles H. Norton House, Plainville
Brownstone Quarries, Portland
Frederic Remington House, Ridgefield
Samuel Huntington Birthplace, Scotland
First Presbyterian Church, Stamford
Captain Nathaniel Palmer House, Stonington
Emma C. Berry, Stonington
L.A. Dunton, Stonington
Sabino, Stonington
Charles W. Morgan, Stonington
James Merrill House, Stonington
Noah Webster Birthplace, West Hartford
Edward W. Morley House, West Hartford
Buttolph Williams House, Wethersfield
Silas Deane House, Wethersfield
Joseph Webb House, Wethersfield
Oliver Ellsworth Homestead, Windsor
Henry C. Bowen House, Woodstock

National Historic Parks (2)

This can get a little confusing, as Weir Farm used to be a National Historic Site until 2021 and Coltsville will be a decades-long transformation before it’s a true destination. As of 2022, there are 62 National Historical Parks in the country and they are managed by the National Park Service.

Coltsville National Historical Park, Hartford
Weir Farm National Historic Park, Wilton/Ridgefield

National Natural Landmarks (8)

I really dig this category. For starters, I had never heard of such a designation. Also, I’ve been to or been very near 5 of the 8 landmarks already and had no idea. Most of these aren’t exactly vacation destinations as they seem to be in other states, especially out west. But they’re ours and that’s all I need. And while one is mostly in Massachusetts (Bartholemew’s Cobble), I am drawn to it anyway because it has North America’s greatest diversity of ferns. I find that rather awesome.

The National Natural Landmark (NNL) program recognizes and encourages the conservation of outstanding examples of the United States’ natural history. It is the only natural areas program of national scope that identifies and recognizes the best examples of biological and geological features in both public and private ownership. NNLs are not National Parks and many sites are not open for visitation – though Connecticut’s 8 are, for the most part.

Bartholemew’s Cobble, North Canaan
Chester Cedar Swamp, Chester
Cathedral Pines, Cornwall
Beckley Bog, Norfolk
Bingham Pond Bog, Salisbury
McLean Game Refuge, Simsbury/Granby
Dinosaur Trackway, Rocky Hill
Pachaug-Great Meadow Swamp, Voluntown

National Scenic Byways (2)

Get yer motor runnin’…. Head out on the National Scenic Byways… Looking for CTMQ Adventure…

Y’know, I kind of hate that song. I don’t really “get” this one as it seems to be commercially sponsored and not wholly a federal program. It seems to pretty much just be a national version of the state scenic road designation, but it certainly does have some federal backing and they’ve certainly chosen two good “byways” here in Connecticut.

The National Scenic Byways (NSB) Program was established under the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991, and reauthorized in 1998 under the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century.

As you can imagine, I’ve driven these things plenty of times – the Merritt too many to count. There are a ton of CTMQ stops along Route 169 and heck, the Merritt even has a museum dedicated to it.

Connecticut State Route 169, Lisbon to Woodstock, 32 Miles
Merritt Parkway, Greenwich to Stratford, 37 Miles

National Heritage Corridor & National Heritage Area (2)

These are far the most ill-defined of these national designations. They are vast, both cross into Massachusetts and there’s no real way to “visit” them in any traditional sense. That’s not to say there isn’t cool stuff within them.

These are not National Park Service units nor any type of federally-owned or managed land. The Last Green Valley National Heritage Corridor was called The Quinebaug and Shetucket Rivers Valley National Heritage Corridor until it was changed in 2014. While there is a lot of overlap, this isn’t quite the same as “The Quiet Corner.”

The Last Green Valley National Heritage Corridor – Intro
The Upper Housatonic Valley National Heritage Area – Intro

National Scenic Trails (2)

Ahh, my favorite of all the nationally recognized places on this page. Of course the Appalachian Trail makes the cut, but in 2009 the federal government recognized the New England Scenic Trail (The Menunkatuck, Mattabesett, and Metacomet trails in Connecticut) as a National Scenic Trail. Both trails continue on into other states, but that makes no difference to me.

Connecticut Sections of the Appalachian Trail – Intro

Section 1: Hoyt Road – Rte 341, Sherman & Kent
Section 2: Route 341 – TBD

Connecticut Sections of the New England Scenic Trail

Menunkatuck Trail Intro
Mattabesett Trail Intro
Metacomet Trail Intro



National Recreation Trails (5)

National Recreation Trais are just trails that mean something enough to someone, somewhere to petition the folks in charge to get the designation. Here’s more on the program.

Trail Trails

Sleeping Giant State Park Trails, Hamden (Intro)
Air Line State Park Trail (Portland, East Hampton, Colchester, Hebron, Columbia, Lebanon, Windham, Chaplin, Hampton, Pomfret, Putnam, Thompson) – Intro

Water Trails

Quinebaug River Water Trail Thompson, Pomfret, Putnam, Killingly, Brooklyn, Plainfield, Canterbury
Shetucket River Water Trail: Windham, Scotland, Lisbon, Sprague, Norwich
Willimantic River Water Trail: Stafford, Ellington, Coventry, Willington, Tolland, Mansfield, Windham

National Historic Trails (2)

This one has caused me a bit of confusion. First – and this isn’t confusing – these “trails” aren’t hiking trails whereas the Scenic Trails above are. These are historic trails where some, um, important history took place at some point in our county’s history. One of ours traverses the entire state from east to west and has a very important, very concrete story behind it. It’s also very new so aside from a few signs alongside roads, there’s not much to it yet.

The other, the Shaker Historic Trail, isn’t listed on Wikipedia but does have a website clearly run by the National Park Service. Our little piece of that trail is a little (no longer) Shaker Village area up in Enfield. I believe I’m correct in including it here.

Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route National Historic Trail, Statewide
Shaker Historic Trail, Enfield

American Society of Mechanical/Civil Engineers National Landmarks (10)

ASkME About ASME

Actually, you know what? Don’t ask me about ASME because I don’t know much about it. But I do know they have an interesting Landmarks program that has the sound of being an important federal program, but really isn’t.

[Note: if you somehow are here for the CSME – the American Society of Civil Engineers Landmark, Scroll to bottom.]

ASME helps the global engineering community develop solutions to real world challenges. Founded in 1880 as the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, ASME is a not-for-profit professional organization that enables collaboration, knowledge sharing and skill development across all engineering disciplines, while promoting the vital role of the engineer in society. ASME codes and standards, publications, conferences, continuing education and professional development programs provide a foundation for advancing technical knowledge and a safer world.

Well there you go.

Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmarks are existing artifacts or systems representing a significant mechanical engineering technology. They generally are the oldest extant, last surviving examples typical of a period, or they are machines with some unusual distinction.

ASME
ASME Landmarks

Connecticut’s ASME Landmarks (10)

Jacob Engine Brake Retarder, Bloomfield
Pitney-Bowes Postage Meter, Danbury
Pratt & Whitney R-1340 Wasp Radial Engine, East Hartford/Windsor Locks
AC Electification, Greenwich
Paige Compositor, Hartford
Rocky River Hydroelectric Plant, New Milford
BF Clyde’s Cider Mill, Stonington
Roosa Master Diesel Fuel-Injection Pump, Windsor
Pratt & Whitney Single Crystal Turbine Blade, Windsor Locks
Hydromatic Propeller, Windsor Locks

American Society of Civil Engineers Landmark (1)

Oh those civil engineers! They came up with their own list too but their one pick from Connecticut, the Rocky River Pumped Storage Hydroelectric Plant in New Milford, is also a mechanic engineering landmark. C’mon civil engineers! There must be more than just this one in the state! Weak effort.

Rocky River Pumped Storage Hydroelectric Plant, New Milford (Written up as an ASME Landmark.)