Hy-Ho, Hy-Ho, It¹s Off to Another Museum I Go... Guilford (Google Maps location) June 2016 Any reader of this website knows that there are a lot of historic house museums in Connecticut. (And, presumably, other surrounding states as well.) When I began visiting them and writing about then long ago, I often … [Read more...]
Medad Stone Tavern Museum
"But What About Me, Dad?" Guilford (Google Maps location) June 11, 2016 For whatever reason I've always thought in my head that the guy's name was Stone Medad. And I always thought that was funny. Now, as I begin writing about my visit to the museum with my son Damian and notice the guy's name was actually Medad … [Read more...]
Strong-Howard House
Taking a Fyler Windsor (Google Maps location) December 2021 True story: Back in 2006 when I first started putting together the framework of this ridiculous website - back in the "Connecticut MuseumQuest" days, I had a museum listed named the Lt. Walter Fyler House in Windsor. I don't remember when I realized such … [Read more...]
Dr. Hezekiah Chaffee House
A Really Old House in a Really Old Town Windsor (Google Maps location) December 2021 Windsor is one of "The Big Three" in Connecticut. Most readers of this website know what I mean by that, but if you don't, "The Big Three" refers to Windsor, Hartford, Wethersfield - the first three towns formed and settled (by … [Read more...]
NHL: Oliver Ellsworth Homestead
CT National Historic Landmark Oliver Ellsworth Homestead Windsor The Oliver Ellsworth Homestead, also known as Elmwood, is now a historic house museum at 788 Palisado Avenue in Windsor. It was (is?) called Elmwood because Ellsworth planted 13 elm trees to commemorate the 13 states at the time. All the trees died … [Read more...]
Oliver Ellsworth Homestead
Ells Bells Windsor (Google Maps location) December 2021 There it was, placed near the road as I was leaving the Windsor Public Library. I was turning out of the parking lot right next to the handsome town green featuring the large Evelyn Batchelder War Eagle sculpture and happened to see a sign advertising an … [Read more...]
Deming-Young Farm & House
What's Old is Newington Again Newington (Google Maps location) June 2015 I have a skewed view of Newington's Deming-Young Farm and House Museum simply because I visited it on Connecticut's annual Open House Day. My sons and I got the full show with period costumes and acting! The house is pretty much never open … [Read more...]
Bush-Holley House Museum
"A Museum in the Hand is Worth Two at the Bush-Holley" Greenwich (Google Maps location) May 25, 2014 The Bush-Holley House is part of the CT Art Trail, the CT Women's Heritage Trail, and is also a National Historic Landmark. Greenwich. Ah, Greenwich. That town we all know is wealthy but so few of us … [Read more...]
440. Huntington Homestead Museum
Hunting in Scotland Scotland (Google Maps location) June 8, 2019 You’ll likely find this ridiculous - and you should - but I’ve always had this weirdly romanticized vision of what Scotland, Connecticut is like. This vision is formed, obviously, by its namesake country. It’s not exactly easy to get to for most of … [Read more...]
237. Henry Whitfield State Museum
Stone Cold Cool Guilford (Google Maps location) September 8, 2012 The state of Connecticut operates fewer museums than you’d think. There really are just a handful, and many of them rely on partnerships with volunteers (Old New-Gate Prison in East Granby) and/or local historical societies (Prudence Crandall House … [Read more...]