CT National Historic Landmark New Haven Green Historic District Bounded by Chapel, College, Elm, and Church Streets, New Haven This write-up has plagued me for a little while. I just hate these “district” designations, as they encompass far too much for my little brain to process. There are two others on the … [Read more...]
NHL: Grove Street Cemetery
CT National Historic Landmark Grove Street Cemetery 227 Grove Street, New Haven If you’re really into National Historic Landmarks of Connecticut and you’re going through all 60+ one-by-one, settle in; for this is merely the first of 9 in New Haven. To put that in perspective, New Haven represents but 0.6% of … [Read more...]
NHL: First Church of Christ
First Church of Christ, Congregational of Farmington CT National Historic Landmark 75 Main St., Farmington (Operational Church) This church is also on the Amistad Trail My appreciation for the historic district of Farmington is well documented over in the Amistad Trail section where I checked out a bunch of … [Read more...]
NHL: Austin F. Williams Houses
Austin F. Williams House and Carriage House CT National Historic Landmark 127 Main St. in Farmington (Private Residence) The Austin F. Williams House is also on the Amistad Trail Austin Williams (1805-1885) and his wife Jennet Cowles Williams were abolitionists. Their property first became important in the … [Read more...]
Cultural, Heritage, & Historic Trails
Connecticut's Cultural, Heritage, & Historic Trails I'm updating this page in 2023. Please excuse the appearance. Look at you... so fancy for coming to this page. So cultured! Over the years, the state of Connecticut and other entities have created a few "trails" for people like us. There are a bunch that have … [Read more...]
Connecticut Freedom Trail Intro
In recognizing the importance to Connecticut of numerous sites in the state that are associated with the heritage and movement towards freedom of its African American citizens, the Connecticut General Assembly in 1995 authorized that these locations be developed into a Freedom Trail. The Overarching Freedom … [Read more...]
Amistad Trail: New Haven (9)
1. Amistad Memorial 165 Church Street Sculpted by Ed Hamilton in 1992, this monument of Sengbe Pieh, known as Joseph Cinqué, stands on the former site of the New Haven Jail, where illegally kidnapped Africans were imprisoned in 1839 while awaiting trial. The work is a majestic, 14-foot relief sculpture cast in … [Read more...]
Amistad Trail: Hartford
Old State House 800 Main Street Connecticut's original statehouse is the oldest in the U.S. Many historic events took place here, including the signing of the first written Constitution in the nation, and the Amistad and Prudence Crandall trials. The site contains a the restored, original Senate chamber and a … [Read more...]
Amistad Trail: Farmington (10)
Amistad Trail: Farmington 10 locations as of May 2013 1. Austin F. Williams Home and Carriage House 127 Main Street (Private residence) One of those responsible for bringing the Mendi to Farmington, Williams gave a piece of his land on which townspeople built a dormitory for the men and boys. Later remodeled … [Read more...]
Amistad Trail Intro
22 Sites Farmington, Hartford, Litchfield, New Haven, New London Vetted in January 2023. And I will shout, "FREEDOM!" The Freedom Trail encompasses sites in Connecticut associated with the heritage and movement towards freedom of its African American citizens - and the Amistad Trail is a very important part … [Read more...]