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YALE UNIVERSITY
LIBRARY

IN
LITCHFIELD HILLS.

AN ILLUSTRATED
WORK OF
LITCHFIELD COUNTY,

In Which the Picturesque Features
of Each Town in the County
are Set Forth.

PUBLISHED AND EDITED BY
GEORGE ALSON MARVIN.

HARTFORD, CONN.
R. S. PECK & CO., PRINTERS,
1897.

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CONTENTS.

In Litchfield Hills,
Litchfield,Winchester,
Torrington, North Canaan,
Norfolk, .
Salisbury,
Thomaston, New Milford,
Sharon,
New Hartford,
Watertown, Woodbury,Roxbury, .
Harwinton,
Plymouth,Colebrook,Barkhampsted,Bethlehem,Cornwall,Kent,Goshen,Canaan,Warren,Morris,Bridgewater,
Washington,

Page. 1012'9
3°3339 55
64 66 69 77
Si909497
99
103
10S
no III I[511S121125 127
•Ji132

Prefa

ce.

¦j*

In the following pages the author has endeavored to write
a clear and brief description of the picturesque in each town in
the county. "In Litchfield Hills" is not to be considered a historical
work, although many interesting points of history are touched
upon. As nothing of this character on our county has been
placed before the public it is the object of the author to place
upon the market a pretty souvenir of " Our Mountain County "
at a price within the reach of every one.
The writer has personally visited every town and collected
the necessary material besides selecting the subjects for
illustration. Although the work has involved a large amount of labor
and there have been many difficulties to overcome the task has
been most fascinating.
Much is due to those who have taken an interest in the
preparation of this volume, and have aided by valuable sugges
tions. Many contributions have been made by certain of
Litchfield's brightest literary minds which have added much to
the value of the work.
G. A. M.

NORTH STREET, LITCHFIELD.

IN LITCHFIELD HILLS.
at
Before taking up in detail each town in Litchfield county
perhaps it would be of interest to take a cursory glance at the
" Mountain County of Connecticut." This northwestern
corner of our commonwealth is one of the most picturesque
and delightful spots in all New England.
Over a thousand square miles of pleasing diversity of
scenery interspersed with lakes, mountains and valley sprinkled
with quaint hamlets and busy villages, while many places have
been beautified by the hand of man, make this section one of
the favorite portions of Nature's great play ground for the tired
denizens of our large cities.
The geologist could spend years here studying the forma
tion and history of these rugged hills and beautiful valleys. In
Salisbury are the inexhaustible ore beds which have been
worked for over a century, while the lover of Nature will find
rugged mountains and lakes scattered in prodigal profusion
throughout the town. Further east are the beautiful meadows
and limestone formations of Canaan. Then comes a ridge of
Archaean rock beginning at Norfolk and stretching diagonally
across the county with the oldest and hardest portion between
Norfolk and Winsted.
Besides the geologist, hundreds view the wonderful
" Tipping Rock " in North Goshen, which was borne to its
present resting place thousands of years ago during the glacial
period.

IO

LITCHFIELD HILLS.

In the southern part of the county are also many geolog
ical features. Here are some of the finest granite quarries in
the country, peculiar iron formations, and garnet mines.
The artist who desires to sketch or paint from Nature will
find in Litchfield a perfect mine. During any season of the
year picturesque bits of scenery, all varied and beautiful, may
be found in every town in the county, but the artist especially
loves to paint among the beautiful Norfolk or rugged Cornwall
hills. The Litchfield hills were recently described as a region of
lakes, mountains, torrents, glens, lovers' lanes, rocks, and
echoes, and all are bathed in romance and legends.
Down in the picturesque old towns in Southern Litchfield
the Red Man warred and wooed, from the hill tops burned the
signal fire calling the tribes to deadly foray; and finally after
the last war-whoop had been sounded, and the noble Red Man
lay stretched upon mother earth, he was laid to rest beside
some beautiful water fall, or in some fertile meadow beside a
peaceful brook and the story has come down to us clothed in
mystery and romance.
Litchfield county is rich in historic interest and every inch
is hallowed ground.
In the township of Litchfield the famous Wolcott and
Marvin families melted the leaden equestrian statue of George
III, which had been brought from Bowling Green, New York,
into bullets, which were used to repel the hired invaders of the
tyrant king.
Time and space forbid us naming or giving a record of
the distinguished men who were born or lived in this county,
United States senators, congressmen, governors, chief
justices, clergymen, poets and authors, all swell the list of those
who have not only been leaders of thought and action in the
formative period of our country's history — but many are now
illustrious leaders in this busy age of progress and competition.

LITCHFIELD.

j*

For years the writer has known Litchfield by report as
a place rich in historic interest, as a town of broad streets
lined with fine old trees, and as a resting place for hundreds of
tired dwellers of our large commercial centers.
But the writer had formed no adequate idea of this beauti
ful old town until he was obliged to go there when he was en
gaged upon the work of preparing " In Litchfield Hills."

WELL ON HENRY WARD BEECHER PLACE.
Litchfield does not lie in a valley but sits upon a hill or plateau
1,114 feet above the sea.
From under the noble elms of this town one looks out
over the surrounding country upon most diversified scenery ;
down the picturesque Shepaug Valley or northward to Ivy
mountain tower which seems to guard the peaceful Goshen
Hills or he may catch glimpses of shimmering lake or look
over cultivated fields and miles of beautiful forest. Truly
" Dame Nature" has been very kind to Litchfield,

NORTH STREET.

LITCHFIELD.

13

One of the chief ornaments of this town are the broad
streets, level and lined with magnificent elms, which extend
throughout the town. In fact many of these trees have a
history. Two large elms in front of J. L. Judd's residence
on West Street were planted by South Carolina's distinguished
statesman, John C. Calhoun, when pursuing his studies under
Judge Reeve in 1805.
One of the finest elms in the village stands on the corner
of North and West Streets and in years gone by served as a
whipping post.
It is said that a large willow which stands near Mrs. W.
C. Noyes' grew from a riding stick, which her grandfather,

BIRTHPLACE OF HENRY WARD BEECHER.

Col. Benjamin Talmadge, who was a member of Washington's
staff during the Revolution, stuck in the ground.
In this town it seems as if the past and present linked
hands, for there is no town of its size which has so many
houses built previous to 1800 and are still occupied by
descendants of the original owners.
Notable among these is the old Wolcott house where
lived Oliver Wolcott, signer of the Declaration of Independence.
The old Beecher homestead where lived the Reverend Lyman

i4 LITCHFIELD.
Beecher, D. D. and where Henry Ward and Harriet Beecher
Stowe passed their childhood, is a point of interest to visitors.
In this, our shire town, stands the stone court house upon
the site of an old fort, which was built to protect the small
settlement of whites from their foe, the Red Man.
Litchfield is noted for its lakes, and no one should leave
town without viewing Bantam Lake, the largest body of water
in the state, covering over 1,200 acres. The residents of
Litchfield take great
pride in the appearance
of their village and the
result is acres of well-
kept lawns and over five
miles of concrete side
walk, for though
Litchfield is a borough,
its population is but a
little over 8,000.
The beauty of the
scenery and the envi
ronments of the town
fire department buildin'g. have aided in bringing
hundreds of summer guests to Litchfield. The result has been
the building of many beautiful summer residences. Notable
among these is Captain Van Winkle's new house. We quote
the following from the " Connecticut Quarterly " :
" Go to Prospect Hill, a little northwest of the village, and
look for many miles to the east, south and west. Almost
below you is the lovely village of Litchfield — a jewel, clean and
white, in the setting of leafy green. Beyond, and higher is
Chestnut Hill — a picture of highly cultivated farms in a frame
of blue sky and sunshine ; then Morris hills to the south,
beyond the placid lake sparkling in the sunbeams ; while to the
southwest Big Mount Tom lifts his high head as unconcernedly
as when two hundred years ago the lurid flames upon his bare
pate called the Indians to their chieftain's side for deadly foray.
Then to the west, is Bare Hill, the pinnacle overlooking

i6

LITCHFIELD.

Waramaug Lake, the blue lines of Quaker Hill ; then Mount
Prospect, with its stores of mineral wealth, then the misty out
lines of the Catskills, Mohawk Mountain with its disabled
tower. Such is the vista that those who are fortunate enough
to live in Capt. Van Winkle's house can see each day, — an
almost boundless view of Nature, everywhere improved by
art." The influx of summer guests has led some of the enter-

PROF. HOPIN'S RESIDENCE.
prising citizens of Litchfield to erect the Casino. In connec
tion with the Casino are six tennis courts and golf links.
Through the generosity of one of Litchfield's citizens
a Fire Department Building (perhaps one of the finest in the
United States has been erected.)

THE HAWK HURST.

iS

LITCHFIELD.

The building which is built of stone and brick contains
besides Fire Department Home, bowling alleys, billiard and
pool tables, reading room, and all accessories.
Litchfield has several fine church buildings. The town is
peculiarly favored with hotels. The Hawk Hurst, a fashionable
summer hotel about four minutes walk from the station, is
situated on the brow of a hill and directly opposite the Casino.
Broad piazzas surround this home-like hotel from which one
may obtain a view of hill, valley and lake.
The United States Hotel was built on the site of the original
building which was erected by John Phelps, the ancestor of the
Hon. E. J. Phelps, ex-minister to Great Britain.
The graceful elms, the beautiful scenery, fine buildings and
historic old homes shrouded in romance and legends, together
with the hospitality of the many fine old families have made
the name of Litchfield known far and near.

WINCHESTER.

If there is any one that doubts that Winchester lacks the
picturesque features which are so characteristic of Litchfield
County, let him but mount a wheel at Colebrook Station and go
pedalling down the
fine road which leads
to the Borough of
Winsted. Much of the dis
tance is lined by trees
while in some places,
as the rider glides
along the road he may
look down the precip
itous sides of a deep
gorge, through which
flows the turbulent
Mad River which at
last is made to turn
many water-wheels in
the busy Borough of
Winsted. In order to get a
fair idea of Winsted
one should, climb one
of the many eminen
ces which surround
the crescent shaped
memorial tower. town. Perhaps one
of the most accessible points is the Memorial Monument which
stands but a short distance from Main street. This monument,
which was erected a few years since by the citizens of Winches
ter, is built of granite and from foundation to top measures

>

WINCHESTER.

GILBERT HOME, WEST WINSTED.
seventy feet. As one ascends the stairs he will notice that the
interior is covered with marble tablets on which are graven the
names of those who fought for the preservation of the Union.

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GILBERT SCHOOL, EAST WINSTED.
Many fortunes have been made in this town by enterprising
business men in the days gone by, but probably none have
been put to better use than that which was accumulated by the
late William L, Gilbert,

EAST WINSTED PARK

WINCHESTER.

RESIDENCE OF EUGENE POTTER.

On a picturesque site a short distance from the Memorial
Monument is located the endowed Gilbert Home for the
orphans of Litchfield county.

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RESIDENCE OF GOV. LQRIN COOKE.

WAKEFIELD BOULEVARD.

WINCHESTER.

25

SIESTA LODGE, HIGHLAND LAKE.

In East Winsted we find a handsome structure known as
the Gilbert School. This school, like the home, is endowed.
Its object is to prepare for the leading American colleges, and
is free to those residing in the town of Winchester. Directly
opposite the Gilbert School lies Winsted's fine old park with
many shade trees and an ornamental fountain.
Churches of nearly all denominations are found in the
town, while the Y. M. C. A. is one of the strongest organiza
tions of its kind in the county. Winsted too, is fortunate in
possessing the Beardsley Library.
The visitor who would spend a day in this town is sure of
finding first-class hotel accommodations, for the hotels are
ranked among the best in the Naugatuck Valley. Winsted has
many fine streets lined with handsome residences, the most
expensive and picturesque being the Potter Mansion.
Just at present Winsted is very much before the public eye
for it is the home of Governor Cooke. The Governor has

WINCHESTER. 27
recently completed the building of a pretty residence on
Monroe street.
With all her advantages, the Borough of Winsted is most
easy of access. The Philadelphia, Reading and New England
Railroad runs directly through the town, while the Naugatuck
division of the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad
has its terminal in the heart of the borough.
Less than half a mile from Main street and at an elevation
of two hundred feet above the town lies the beautiful Highland
Lake. This expanse of water which extends three miles, has
an area of nearly five hundred acres, and is encircled by
forests and sloping meadows, while in some places rugged
bluffs reach down almost to the water's edge. Through the
generosity of the late Harvey Wakefield, a fine drive known as
the Wakefield Boulevard extends around the lake, a distance of
seven miles. Already several have built cottages on the shores
of the lake and spend their summers there. On moonlight
summer evenings the pink-a-punk of the banjo or some jolly
boating song is wafted across the silvery waters as some gay
party comes rowing across the lake.
But this Highland Lake is not the only sheet of water within
the township of Winchester, for two hundred feet higher and
within less than a mile, snugly ensconced in the rugged mountains
lies Crystal Lake, whose outlet is a stream which flows into
Highland Lake. Several miles north of Winsted an elaborate
system of artificial canals and lakes have been constructed into
which a portion of the waters of Mad River have been turned,
whence it is led through the Gilbert tunnel, bored for more than
a half a mile through the solid rock of a mountain where it at
last rushes into Crystal Lake, so that despite the most pro
longed drouth, Winsted has stored up an abundant motive
power for her many factories.
Only a mile west of Winsted's famous boulevard lies Piatt
Mountain, the highest cultivated land in the state. A tower
fifty feet in height has recently been erected on the mountain
and from its top one may obtain a sweeping view over four
counties. Let us leave the reader at this point viewing the
diversified scenery of Northwestern Connecticut.

CRYSTAL LAKE, 146 ACRES.

HIGHLAND LAKE, 489 ACRES

TORRINGTON.

Torrington, the busiest borough in the county, is pictur
esquely situated south of Winsted surrounded by high hills.

MIGEON AVENUE.

The village is beautifully laid out, the streets being broad
and straight. Migeon Avenue is probably the handsomest street, for it
is lined with graceful elms which form a perfect arch in many
places. Litchfield street is another of Torrington's pretty
thoroughfares. Hundreds of pretty residences are situated within the
limits of the borough, while handsome churches of various
denominations are located in the central part of the town.
Every resident takes pride in the handsome Y. M. C. A.
building which is located on Main street. This building, which
is built of brick, contains a reading room, parlor, recitation
rooms, office of the secretary, and a gymnasium thoroughly
fitted with modern appliances.

TORRINGTON .

3i

BIRTHPLACE OF JOHN BROWN.

A very fine view of the village may be obtained from
Torringford street To the north lie the blue Goshen hills

GLEN NEAR JOHN BROWN PLACE.
while in the foreground nestled in the wooded hills lies the
busy little village, its tall chimneys breathing forth dark smoke
wreaths.

32 TORRINGTON.
Here are located the Coe Brass Works, one of the largest
concerns of its kind in the country, while various other mills
which furnish employment for hundreds of operatives are
situated in different parts of the town. It is on this street that
Charles Battell Loomis, the humorist, makes his home.
Torrington has also played an honorable part in her
country's history. It was in this town the first anti-slavery
convention of Litchfield county was held. And here was the
birth-place of John Brown. The house in which this hero was
born is located about three miles from Torrington on the

LITCHFIELD STREET.
Goshen road, and is still standing, at present being occupied
by a family belonging to the race for whom this brave old man
laid down his life.
Near the old John Brown house is a very pretty glen
which would furnish a fit subject for an artist. In fact, one can
hardly go anywhere in this pretty township without finding the
picturesque.

NORTH CANAAN.

Canaan has in many respects a unique situation. Lying
in the beautiful Housatonic Valley at the junction of the Berk
shire division of the New York, New Haven & Hartford Rail
road and the New England division of the Philadelphia &
Reading Railroad it is one of the most accessible towns in
Litchfield county.
Although its elevation is such as to iusure pure air and
sweeping views, many portions of the town are comparatively

OLD ELM.
level so that there is room to lay out broad avenues should it
ever become desirable.
Although the scenery is not as rugged and pronounced as
that of some sister towns, one may feast his eyes upon the blue
Taconic range or follow the wanderings of the " bonny Brom-

hw

NORTH CANAAN.

35

foxit," better known as the Blackberry River, as it comes bub
bling and foaming down from the Norfolk hills to wind in and
out among the peaceful meadows of Canaan, or he may walk
along the banks of the broad and romantic Housatonic River.
Many times has the writer stood on the rear platform of a
west bound train on the Philadelphia, Reading & New England
Railroad on a beautiful autumnal afternoon and watched the
wild and romantic scenery as the train rushed on its way
through deep rock cuts or along the side of some high eleva-

BROMFOX1T.
tion of land. The view indeed is magnificent as one looks
down upon the picturesque valley of the Blackberry River, or
views the rugged mountains clothed with hardy growths of
wood, the foliage of which is bright scarlet or shimmering
gold. As the visitor walks down Main street he is at once struck
by the number of pretty residences surrounded by well kept
lawns, (the property of Canaan's prosperous citizens), which
line both sides of the street. Canaan too has many fine homes
more than a century old, every one of which is shrouded in
romance, and each has its own legend.

MARBLE QUARRY, EAST CANAAN.

NORTH CANAAN. 37
Canaan's big elm a short distance north of the village is
the Mecca of many visitors.
Among the public buildings of this town is a cosy little
library which contains the Douglas Library, consisting of three
thousand volumes.
Canaan also has four churches.
For many years this town has had a fine water plant, the
water being obtained from a series of inexhaustible springs a
little more than a mile from the village.
Connecticut's beautiful State House at Hartford is admired
by all who visit that historic old city, and it is a notable fact
that the marble for this stately structure was obtained from
the quarry at East Canaan.
For over half a century a fine quality of lime has been
shipped from this town to various parts of the state.
Down on the picturesque lower road are located the two
blast furnaces of the Barnum, Richardson Company, always
busy reducing ore, the daily output being nearly forty tons.
Although there are no large factories in the town the fine
water power of the Blackberry river is most excellent and
would seem a most pleasing inducement to the manufacturer
who would avoid the expense of fuel and engines. j
Truly Canaan has a future.

NORFOLK, FROM CRISSEY HILL.

NORFOLK.

£

No township within the borders of Litchfield County has a
greater reputation for the picturesque and beautiful than the
grand old town of Norfolk.
This beautiful village ensconsed among the blue Litchfield
hills is the highest point of land reached by rail in the state,
and is known as a popular summer resort from New York

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Harbor to the Golden Gate, and from Canada to the Gulf of
Mexico, while its elevation of over 1,300 feet above tide water
insures pure air and cool mountain breezes.
sDOZ w<?J

NORFOLK.

4i

In this pretty little town the seeker after health or
pleasure may find acres of velvet lawns which compare
favorably with the trim lawns of Newport, or he may climb
rugged mountain paths if he be a pedestrian, and obtain
sweeping views of Litchfield and Berkshire Hills, or if he be an
ardent follower of Izack Walton he may paddle his canoe over
the placid waters of Lakes Wan gum, Doolittle or Toby, and

LIBRARY.

if he be patient he may carry away some very fine strings of
bass and pickerel.
Although Nature has been very lavish the town owes much of
its adornment to the Eldridge and Battell families.
On the summit of Haystack, which has an elevation of
1620 feet above the level of the sea, and is situated about a
mile in a northwesterly direction from the village is a belvedere,
which was erected several years ago by the direction of the
late Hon. Robbins Battell.
The Norfolk Library, built in 1888, is considered one of
the finest in the state, and contains a reading room which is
supplied with over forty of the leading dailies and periodicals,
a conversational room, and a library proper which contain?

42

NORFOLK.

BOOK ROOM, LIBRARY.

HALL OF LIBRARY,

NORFOLK.

43

over 9,000 volumes. The building also contains apartments
for the librarian.
This building, which was designed by Keller, was erected
by Miss Isabelle Eldridge in memory of her father and mother,
Joseph and Sarah Eldridge.
The residents of the town and visitors also have free use of
the Eldridge Gymnasium, which is considered one of the most
complete institutions of its kind in the state, and is fully

ELDRIDGE GYMNASIUM.
equipped with modern and approved apparatus and appliances,
the whole being under the constant supervision of a competent
director. He who desires an extensive view with little exertion
will find no better spot than the large overhanging veranda of
this building. From this luxuriously furnished piazza one may obtain a
view of the beautiful Canaan Valley with Mt. Everett in the
background. Another attraction of this popular resort is the
tennis courts connected with the gymnasium.
The visitor should not neglect to spend a brief time
loitering about Norfolk's historic old park, or admiring the

BUTTERMILK FALLS.

NORFOLK.

45

beautiful fountain, designed by Sanford White, the bronze St.
Gaudens, which stands at the lower point of the triangular
park. This fountain was erected in the fall of 1889 by Miss
Mary Eldridge in memory of the late Joseph Battell. The
Welch memorial fountain, another of Norfolk's gifts, was

VERANDA GYMNASIUM.

erected in 1895 by the Welch family in memory ofthe late Dr.
William Welch, and is placed at the junction of Main and Mill
streets. Ever since Norfolk's first pastor, Rev. Ammi Robbins,
entered upon his pastorate in the fall of 1761, Norfolk has been
known as an educational center.
Some ten or twelve years ago a model public school
building was erected. In 1884 Miss Anna Battell in connec
tion with her brother, Hon. Robbins Battell (lineal descendants
of Rev. Ammi Robbins) established the Robbins School, the
first permanent preparatory school of northwestern Connecticut.
Recently a fine athletic field, the gift of Mrs. Carl Stoeckel,
has been added to the school campus. West of the park

CAMPBELL FALLS.

NORFOLK.

47

stands a typical New England church with a Wren steeple.
Another gift is the chime of bells which have been placed in
the old church tower and whose sweet cadence may be heard
every quarter hour.
Beside the Congregational church, and facing the park is
a chapel built by Mrs. Urania Humphrey in memory of her
father and mother. This building, which was designed by
Cady, is of granite and contains a lecture room and parlor.
The town also has a pretty Roman Catholic church, a
quaint old Methodist church and a new Episcopal church,
which is supported largely by the summer residents.

VIEW ON LAKE DOOLITTLE.

The Hillhurst, a large airy hostelry accommodating over a
hundred guests, is situated a half a mile in an easterly
direction from the village green. From the spacious ver
andas of this summer hotel beautiful and extensive views may
be obtained. Fairlawn, a pretty cottage on Maple Avenue accommodates
about twenty of Norfolk's summer guests.

48

NORFOLK.

FOUNTAIN, CHURCH AND CHAPEL.

ROBBINS SCHOOL.

NORFOLK.

49

The Stevens House, a commodious hotel surrounded by
a beautiful lawn and shade trees, is open throughout the year.
Although Norfolk is not noted for its manufacturing, a
few enterprising firms have located on the banks of the Black
berry River, a picturesque little stream which drains nearly
twenty miles of hilly country. In one place this stream has a
fall of 125 feet in less than a mile.
One of the many fine bits of scenery about Norfolk is
formed by this river as it plunges in a series of connected

STEVENS HOUSE.
tumbles over the rocks west of the mill dam, forming the
Butter Milk Falls.
Norfolk no longer depends upon the "old oaken bucket"
for her water supply. Some two years ago work was com
menced on Norfolk's new water plant. The supply is obtained
from Lake Wangum, a beautiful sheet of water located
about four miles from the village on the top of a high moun
tain, and encircled by forests. Its height of nearly 250 feet
above the village green, the fact that there are but two or
three buildings located on the entire water shed, and that
the lake is supplied by never-failing springs ensures perfect
freedom from contamination.

Norfolk.

5'

It has been said that Norfolk's drives would require a
volume, but in a work of this kind space will permit of but
mentioning a few.
Campbell's Falls, located about four miles from Norfolk
is one of the many pretty drives. Our brief description we
quote from an article published in the " Norfolk Chimes."
" The best scenery can be had on this trip by taking the
road over Ball Mountain and returning by way of Canaan
valley. Leaving the wagon on the roadside one descends by a

.Uf^':^M:^ |^»,

A NORFOLK RESIDENCE.
steep path thickly strewn with pine-needles into a grass-grown
and wooded ravine, and there for the first time one catches a
glimpse of the Falls. From a height on the opposite side of
the ravine the sparkling water dashes over the mossy rocks,
sometimes falling into little rocky nooks where it forms a
secluded lake until the next heavy rain forces it out and on its
way. Bounding over the rocks it at length flows into a
bubbling brook which winds in and out among the trees till it
is lost to sight. By following this brook now walking along
the bank, now skipping from stone to stone, one sees many
beautiful ferns, mosses, and flowers, which add greatly to the

SUMMER RESIDENCE OF PROF. GOODNOW. SOLDIERS' MONUMENT.
WELCH MEMORIAL FOUNTAIN.

VIEW OF VERANDA AT TAMARACK LODGE.
TOBY POND.

NORFOLK.

53

beauty of the place. Along the sides of the falls are large
rocks and boulders by the aid of which, with careful climbing,
one may reach the top where the water makes its first bold
dash over the rocks. From this spot the view of the ravine is
very charming, although most of the falls are hidden from
sight." Far View, about two miles west of the village, is a popular
drive, while he who prefers a steep climb to a drive, may in
vade Lovers' Lane. A much frequented drive is to Moses Hill,
situated two and a half miles south of the village on the Litch
field Road. From this eminence, which is owned by Dr. Fred-

STONE HOUSE, SUMMER RESIDENCE OF LIEU.-GOV. DEWELL, W. NORFOLK.

erick S. Dennis of New York, one may look over the rolling
hills across the state of Massachusetts and see the Green
Mountains of Vermont; in fact, nothing obstructs the view in
any direction for miles and miles around. A drive of two miles
below Moses Hill takes us to South Norfolk by the silent old
water wheel and its picturesque surroundings.

54 NORFOLK.
Another of the attractive features of Norfolk are the hand
some summer residences, which are enclosed in well-kept
grounds. The finest of these is the recently completed resi
dence, built of dove colored marble, of Mr. H. H. Bridgman of
New York.
Tamarack Lodge, the property of Dr. Frederick S. Dennis,
is also considered one of Norfolk's most beautiful summer
homes. Another residence that attracts much attention is
owned by Professor Frank Goodnow of Columbia College.
The " Stone House " owned by Lieutenant-Governor Dewell of
New Haven, is also an object of much interest.
Besides these summer homes there are many fine old
homesteads, some over a century old, in the town. Space
forbids us to mention the many historical associations connected
with the town.
He who would enjoy an ideal summer, the autumnal
beauties or pleasures of a New England town, will find no
pleasanter place in all New England in which to cast his lot,
than Norfolk.

SALISBURY.

S

Salisbury, the largest township in the county, presents
almost every variety of scenery. Rugged mountains lift their
hoary heads toward the clouds, while at their base shimmering
sheets of blue water splash upon a sandy beach ; tiny rivulets
come bubbling down from the hillsides to add their mite to the
broad bosom of Connecticut's most picturesque river, the

5-^HM

' MONUMENT ON BEAR MOUNTAIN.
Erected by Hon. Robbins Battell, of Norfolk.
Housatonic; fertile meadows stretch over much of the country
till they meet stately forests and over all is thrown a glamour of
history and romance.
Many years ago, before the advent of the white man the
Indian loved to make this land his home — his light canoe cut
the clear waters of the Wononscopomuc, while" by its shores

MAIN STREET SALISBURY.

SALISBURY.

57

the council fire gleamed on the visage of the brave warrior, or
glared on the face of the tender and helpless.
From Ore Hill in the western part of the town iron ore
has been mined for a century and a half, and it was here that a
large amount of iron was obtained in the old Revolutionary
times for cannon and ball.

RESIDENCE OF MILO RICHARDSON, LIME ROCK.
Lakeville, situated on the sloping shores of the Wonon-
scopomuc is very much before the educational world at
present, for it is here that Mrs. Maria Hotchkiss built the
Hotchkiss School at a cost of $200,000 and has endowed the
school with $200,000 more. Many summer homes have aho
been built and with their well-kept grounds, add much to the
beauty of the village.
Salisbury about a mile a half east of Lakeville, is a
typical New England town with a broad street lined with
shade trees running its entire length.
The town is most fortunate in possessing the beautiful
Scoville Library, one of the finest buildings of its kind in the

<

SALISBURY.

59

state. In the library proper over the fireplace is laid a stone
taken from Salisbury Cathedral, England, while from the
granite tower of the building a four dial clock tells the time of
day. Chapinville, a small hamlet east of Salisbury, has many
pretty residences and is well worth a visit.
Probably no prettier or more picturesque hamlet exists
in all the county than the little village of Lime Rock, situated
in the western part of the town and about three miles from
Sr

EPISCOPAL CHURCH, LIME ROCK.
Lakeville. The village lies snugly ensconsed in a narrow
valley which is encircled by ragged peaks of the Taconic
range. From the precipitous sides of the mountain glittering
patches of limestone crop forth, while in contrast are the
granite rocks and hemlock trees which clothe a portion of
these rock-ribbed hills. In the west part of this little hamlet
the noble Housatonic comes rolling down between the hills as
it sweeps on toward the sea.
From Butler's bridge which spans the Housatonic, a
broad graveled road, lined with graceful elms, extends straight
as an arrow for nearly a mile.
The village owes much of its trim appearance to the
Barnum and Richardson families, who conduct the extensive

HOTCHKISS SCHOOL.

SALISBURY.

61

iron business of the Barnum & Richardson Company, for
Salisbury has the reputation of producing the best iron for car
wheels in the country.
Back from the road surrounded by velvety stretches of
lawn and graceful shrubbery and trees, stand several fine
residences from which pretty views may be obtained.
The inhabitants of the town justly feel proud of the pretty
stone church which stands at the west end of the street.

RESIDENCE OF CHARLES BARNUM, LIME ROCK.
The township of Salisbury possesses another attraction.
Washining and Washinee, " the twin lakes of the woods."
These lakes are most accessible, since the P., R. & N. E.
Railroad runs along their shores for a long distance. A
few months ago the writer stood upon the shores of these
beautiful lakes and watched an August sunset. Not a ripple
stirred the broad expanse of blue water. In the distance two
or three boats were moving toward the white tents which
were half hidden by the foliage of the pine trees. Across the

w<

SALISBURY.

63

lake, without a peer in all Connecticut, *Bear Mountain, stood
out in bold relief against a dark blue sky which now glowed
with all the glories of the departing day.
Slowly the sun, which now looked like a great ball of fire,
sank behind Mt. Washington, and the whole landscape was
bathed in a subdued light
Let us leave the reader here in the most beautiful spot in
all the town, to watch the fine effect of shade and light, till at
last day gives place to the beauty and quiet of a mid-summer
night.

* Bear Mt. , the highest point of land in Connecticut, is 2,250 feet above tide water, and is
crowned with a stone monument surmounted by a bronze ball. This monument was erected by the
late Robbins Battell of Norfolk.

THOMASTON.

j*

Thomaston formerly belonged to the township of Ply
mouth and is the youngest town in the county.
The town is broken up by hills and is extremely pictur
esque, for there are deep gorges and wild glens and turbulent
mountain brooks. The town lies in the Naugatuck Valley
through which the river of the same name flows. In this town

HOSE HOUSE.
is the Waterbury Reservoir from which the city of Waterbury
obtains its water supply.
Although Thomaston is a manufacturing town it is well
laid out, the streets being broad and well lined by fine shade
trees. This town has been made famous by the clock industry,
for it is here that the Seth Thomas clocks are made, the yearly
output being valued at over a million of dollars.
The largest and handsomest building in the village is the

THOMASTON.

65

TOWN HALL.

brick opera house. Near this building is a pretty brick struc
ture known as the Thomaston Hose House.
Picturesque drives radiate from the town leading the tour
ist through a wealth of scenery and beauty.

i

~  — 

*^-*<0ftimmitt*»2

<*y&

DAM NEAR KNIFE SHOP.

NEW MILFORD.

This township at one time included the town of Bridgwater
and was the largest township in the county.
Although New Milford has lost in area it is one of the
most beautiful towns in the state. Dr. Field, who has girdled
the globe a number of times says that the Housatonic Valley is
one of the most picturesque valleys he has ever visited, and the

1NGLESIDE SCHOOL.
township includes one of the most beautiful portions of this
beautiful valley, for the scenery in this section is characterized
by wildness and grandeur.
It is thought that at one time, thousands of years ago,
much of the land in this section was covered by a broad lake,
but some mighty convulsion must have occurred and the
natural dam (a range of hills to the south) were torn in twain
and the broad expanse of water rushed out of the gorge now
known as "Lovers' Leap". Although there is great scenic
beauty about this " Lovers ' Leap " much interest is added to

NEW MILFORD. 67
the place by the tradition that an Indian maid, the daughter of
a great chief who looked with disfavor on her white suitor,
plunged with her lover from the high bluff into the river and
met a fearful death.
The village is beautifully located on sloping hills at an
elevation of 750 feet and has a perfect drainage.
From the hill near the Rectory a commanding view of hill,
valley and dale, may be obtained in all directions, while in the

STREET VIEW.
foreground lies the broad, double street lined with graceful
elms. Lovely drives radiate in every direction.
On Aspetuk Hill stands a spacious summer hotel known
as the Weautinaug Inn. This building was formerly the
mansion of John P. Treadwell, the first proprietor of the
famous St. Nicholas, New York.
* The Ingleside School for young ladies is beautifully located
in this village, and adds much to the general refinement of the
neighborhood. Through the generosity of Mr. Egbert Marsh the town is
enabled to have a fine library. The library, which is English
Gothic in style, is built of buff brick with Long Meadow
trimmings. Granite steps supported by red stone walls lead to
*The Ingleside School has lately been located in the Weautimaug Inn.

68 NEW MLLFORD.
a large vestibule with mosaic tile floor. The building through
out is finished in oak and ash and contains besides the library
proper a room designed for the G. A. R. Post.
The building, which has recently been completed, is
situated in the central part of the town.

LOVER'S LEAP.

Handsome churches of various denominations are located
in different parts of the village.
In fact, New Milford seems to possess all of the necessary
requisites for an ideal home.

SHARON.

Although not one of the oldest towns in Connecticut,
Sharon possesses far more of the delicate charm of later
Colonial days than many of the more ancient townships are
able to boast. The reason for this is that its early settlers
were not pioneers in the sense of those who leave behind them
all the luxuries of life to brave the hardships and terrors of a
wilderness. They were, on the contrary, well-to-do citizens,

MUDGE POND.
who, having discovered an easily accessible territory as yet
unappropriated, more beautiful and more fertile than the
homes their fathers had chosen, came to occupy the new land
because it was good, bringing with them their worldly gear,
and many of them bringing also that other possession of
greater value than mere money can ever be — minds cultivated
far beyond the average of persons of their day. Thus their
houses were not merely temporary structures which required
at a later date to be torn down and replaced, but houses which

SHARON.

7i

are good, substantial and fine-looking to-day. Perhaps more
than any other one thing, it is the presence of so many of
these genuinely Colonial mansions which gives to Sharon the
distinctive charm which is conceded by all who know it.
The location of the township is exceedingly beautiful,
lying as it does on about the midway terrace of the long hills
which, like gigantic garden terraces, slope southward from the

LIBRARY.
Berkshires to form the western highlands separating the
romantic Housatonic from the peaceful valley of the winding
Webotuck. Here, high enough to command a view of hill and
dale, lake and stream, yet sheltered from the worst violence of
the easterly winds by the higher hills which lie behind it, the
early settlers found an unrivalled situation. Here they could
lay out their broad Main street, a mile and a half long with
only sufficient curve to prevent monotony. Some of the finest
of the old mansions were built on highways leading to this
street. Some on highways which are not now in use. Such
was the once fine old structure the names of whose builders

r-

SHARON.

STREET VIEW, LOOKING NORTH.
and early owners have not been kept in local remembrance,
but which is known as the " Montgomery House " because
that general had his head-quarters there for a short time when
on his way to join the " Army of the North " in its expedition
against Quebec. Few houses of its day surpassed this in
location or construction, and in these days of reverence for

SMITH HOUSE,

SHARON.

73

whatever is historic, or was beautiful before it was old, we can
hardly endure to remember that it has been suffered to fall to
ruin. A very similar house once stood in Sharon Valley, but
of this not even a trace now remains. The Gay homestead,

CLOCK TOWER.
also oft the Main street, is a handsome old house still in good
preservation, and happily is owned and occupied by the
descendants of him who built it. Among the other old and

74 SHARON.
fine houses still in good preservation, is the Sedgwick home
stead overlooking a beautiful part of the elm embowered
Main street. At the street's southern end, where it is divided
into three diverging ways, is another fine old house now
occupied as a summer residence by Mrs. Dunlap-Hopkins of
New York. At the street's northern end, commanding a view
down the park-like Green, is the quaint and charming house
built by Mr. Geo. King, and now occupied by one of his
family connection. Among the oldest dwellings in the town
and certainly one of the -most beautiful, is the many gabled

TIFFANY HOUSE.
house now owned and occupied by the Rev. C. C. Tiffany
and wife. It has been greatly enlarged and improved of late
years, but fortunately not modernized. The same is true of a
charming Mount Vernon-like house owned by Miss Phoebe
Perkins. Other old houses that attract admiration and atten
tion from their age, or their fine appearance, or the beauty of
their grounds, or all combined, are those of Mr. Charles
Sewall, of Miss Lydia Smith, of Mr. Frederick Carter, of Mr.
George Goodwin, of Mrs. Chase, of Miss Wheeler, of Mr. W. O.
Wheeler, and of Mrs. McClurg. In the grounds of the latter
stands one of the very finest elm trees in all New England.

SHARON.

75

Several of these fine residences were built in " the days when
George the Third was King," and at least one of them in the
reign of George the Second.
A house of some historic interest is that known as the
Gov. Smith homestead. Built before the Revolutionary war
by Dr. Simeon Smith, a physician of note in his day as well as
an officer in the patriot army. It is one ofthe finest examples
in New England ofthe architecture ofthe later Colonial period.
It was in the meadow in front of this house that the Hessian

RESIDENCE OF C. ADOLPHE LOW.
prisoners and their guard were encamped on their way down from
Saratoga after Burguoyne's surrender, and in this house that
the British and American officers were quartered. From Dr.
Smith the house descended to his nephew, John Cotton Smith,
Governor of Connecticut during the last war with Great
Britain, and the last Governor under the charter of Charles the
Second. To Gov. Smith's descendants the house now belongs.
Besides its fine views and drives of endless beauty and
variety, Sharon has many attractions, the chief of which is
undoubtedly its park-like street, beautifully shaded by double
rows of arching elms, with a broad central Green, commanded
at one end by a tasteful monument to the Sharon citizens who
lost their lives in the civil war, and at the other by a very

ijG

1SHAR0N"

COOL GATES, RESIDENCE OF ARTHUR DUANE.
handsome clock tower, the gift of the Misses Wheeler to the
town. Three well built churches front upon the street, and at
its highest point is a very pretty public library building, the
gift of Mrs. B. B. Hotchkiss.
Among the newer residences of Sharon is the massive
stone house of Mr. Albert C. Perkins, and the handsome
modern houses of Mr. C. A. Low and Mr. Arthur Duane.

COOL GATES, INTERIOR OF HALL.

NEW HARTFORD.

New Hartford has charms which should hold the lover of
Nature a long time. A thriving village encircled by lofty hills
and mountains, and environed by scenery which is unsurpassed
in all New England for beauty and picturesquencss.
Far above the town the east and west branches of the
Farmington unite forming the river so familiar to every one in
this locality. This river which broadens out in quiet expanses of blue
lake in some places, in others goes dashing and eddying over its

RESIDENCE OF CLARA LOUISE KELLOGG.
rocky bed till it comes to a wild wierd spot, about a mile below
Pine Meadow, known as Satan's Kingdom. Here the Farm
ington winds like a silver thread through a deep wild gorge
whose rocky and precipitous sides reach upward for several
hundred feet till they seem to meet the blue sky. For thou
sands of years the river has been wearing the deep and narrow
gorge through which it flows. Cut into each side of this

NEW HARTFORD, SHOWING A PORTION OK GREENWOOD'S FACTORIES IN THE BACKGROUND.

SATAN'S KINGDOM.

8o NEW HARTFORD.
ravine, high above the river, is the solid bed of a railroad over
which trains dash, the puffing of the engine echoing and re
echoing on the rocky walls of the cliffs. Far up on the crest
of one of the sides of this gorge one may obtain such a view as
he will never forget. Here Clara Louise Kellogg, America's
Prima Donna has carrolled some of her sweetest melodies,
and here Rose Terry Cook has found an inspiration for some
of her sweetest verse. While an author more than twenty
years ago, wove a description of this wild romantic pass through
the mountain in a story which was published in " Harper's
Monthly." The fact that Clara Louise Kellogg has made this town
her home is enough of itself to bring this section before the
public eye.
On the east side of the Farmington the Greenwoods Com
pany established their plant in 1812, for the manufacture of
duck, and their product has become famous the world over.
The writer was fortunate enough to be shown over a large
portion of this extensive plant. Passing through a long low
fire-proof stone building he saw hundreds of thousands of
yards of duck worth thousands of dollars. The product of
these mills is shipped to all parts of the world. It was the
Greenwoods Company which furnished the duck for the sails
for the Defender when she defeated the Valkyrie in the autumn
1895. New Hartford also has many interesting drives and points
which attract the visitor in various parts of the town.

WATERTOWN. j*
There are few towns in the little Nutmeg state as beauti
fully located as Watertown, in the western part of Connecticut.
and southern part of Litchfield county, and persons who have
visited or driven through its valleys and over its hills are ever
ready to speak of the picturesque town, with its handsome resi
dences, its productive farms, and the general thrift of its people.
Hundreds of years ago, when the whole face of nature was one
vast solitude, uncheered by the rays of civilization, when the
wild Indian roamed over its solitary hills and valleys, when its
forests were in their primitive state, and no sign of cultivation
of any kind existed, the imagination can form a vived picture
of its grand, romantic, and picturesque appearance. But, if
the Indian has ceased to roam over its hills and valleys, if the
stately and once gigantic forests have disappeared, it is none
the less grand none the less romantic, but more picturesque
than it has ever been.
Civilization with its rapid strides, inventions, and improve
ments has wiped out the old and once familiar landmarks of
the old settlers. Now the shrill whistle of the locomotive and
the hum of driving industries have broken the solitude of two
hundred years ago, and where formerly swamps, forests, and
wilderness existed, there are driving farms, happy homes and
everything that makes life attractive and worth living.
Every thing has changed for the better. The first perma
nent settlements of the present town of Watertown were made
about 1721, by Jonathan Scott, Sr. and Ebenezer Richardson,
the latter one of the descendants of the pioneers of Waterbury.
Watertown is bounded as follows : on the north by Morris and
Thomaston, on the east by Thomaston and Waterville, on the
south by Waterbury and Middlebury, and on the west by
Woodbury and Bethlehem. Within a few years, the main part
of the town was on a rising hill, but since the railroad has

METHODIST CHURCH
EPISCOPAL CHURCH.

LIBRARY.

CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH.
TOW-NT HALL.

WATERTOWN.

83

come in use (1870), the town has built up greatly, and its
principal places of business are at present under the hill, in the
vicinity of the railroad station: From all parts of the compass,
but more especially from the south, north, and east the pictur
esque town with its handsome and modern residences and pub
lic buildings, shows to the best advantage. From Nova Scotia
hill can be seen Waterbury, Middlebury, and on a clear day the
distant Catskill Mountains, N. Y. Watertown was incorporated
and became a town by itself June 17, 1780. Prior to that its

STEEL'S BROOK.
name was Westbury, and belonged to the present town of
Waterbury. In 1865 the Warren house was erected, and was for many
years one of the largest and most prominent summer resorts
in New England. Here in Watertown was made the first sew
ing machine, and here the famous and world-wide known
Wheeler & Wilson Sewing Machine Company was organized
and carried on a prosperous business for many years. But as
the business kept on increasing, and the faculties for shipping
were inadequate, the company rrioved to Bridgeport. In 1866

WATERTOWN. 85
the Watertown Agricultural & Horse Association came into life,
and its fairs with its fine thoroughbred cattle became known all
over the country. Watertown has two large silk mills where
sewing silk is manufactured besides hardware factories. One
of the first attractions that meets the traveler's eyes com
ing from the south is St. John's Roman Catholic church, with
its handsome rectory close by, and the beautifully laid out
grounds. Opposite the church stands the Pythian hall which
was erected in 1892, and is owned by members of the order.
As we advance a little further north, we behold the handsome
and magnificent residence, the finest in the town, of Merritt
Heminway. Opposite this is the old brick store which was
erected in 1824. On the rising hill to our right stands the
sightly residence of Buell Heminwa'y, which commands a fine
view east and south. A little north from here is the Methodist
church built 1850. Opposite the church and Mr. Buell Hem-
inway's residence is the green, one of Watertown's beauty spots.
Here, westerly stands the Congregational church, built 1840.
A little south of this is the Watertown free public library build
ing, built of hewed granite, a gift by the Dc Forest family.
This is the finest structure in our town, and contains nearly
8000 volumes. Opposite this is Watertown's new town hall,
with its handsome tower, which was used for the first time May
30, 1895, Memorial day. A little west from here is the most
charming residential spot on the hill with its fine green in the
center. Here is Christ Episcopal church with its rectory, and
spacious parish house. Opposite from Christ church is the
hospitable residence of John A. Buckingham in the midst of
large and well kept grounds. On the corner stands the castle
like structure, erected by George Woodruff, and now owned by
Mrs. Virginia Wood, of N. Y. On the road leading to Litch
field, north of Mr. Buckingham's residence, is the old fashioned,
but baronial residence of the W. E. Curtis family, with its large
and stately trees, handsome flower gardens, and well kept
grounds. A little further west we come again to a green with
many large and handsome trees. This is the once famous
Warren house, now Mr. Taft's school.

INTERIOR LIBRARY.

WATERTOWN. 87
Mr. Taft's School was established in 1895, at Pelham
Manor, New York, by Mr. Horace D. Taft, a graduate of Yale
College in the class of 1883, and for some years a tutor of
Latin in that institution. The school began with a staff of
three teachers and with ten boarding scholars and seven day
scholars. In 1893 Mr. Taft moved the school to Watertown, where
the conditions have proved very favorable, and the school has
flourished exceedingly. There is now a staff of six teachers,
while the boarding scholars number forty-three and the day
scholars sixteen.
The object of the school, as set forth in the school cata
logue for 1896 is, "to give boys a thorough preparation for the
best colleges and scientific schools, and to make them strong,
healthy, and manly men." The school prepares for all colleges
and scientific schools, but most of the boys go to Yale. The
course of study covers five years, and no boy is admitted who
is less than twelve years of age.
Mr. Taft was fortunate in securing for his school the War
ren House which, for nearly thirty years was the most famous
hotel in this part of the state and which has proved to be a
most admirable building for the purposes of the school. The
adaptation of the building for these purposes required several
changes. A gymnasium and locker room completed the
school equipment. The school has the use of an admirable
athletic ground in the Watertown fair grounds. The quiet
New England village of Watertown with its healthful climate,
its freedom from all temptation, and its opportunities for open
air exercise is an ideal place for such a school.
West from here on a rising hill, overlooking the town, is
the old fair ground, from which a fine view can be obtained.
One of the most picturesque features in our town, is Lake Win-
nimaug, in the south-western part of our town, which covers
nearly 2,000 acres, and is considered by all fishermen, as the
finest fishing place in Litchfield county. Adjoining the lake,
is the well known and productive farm of Charles B. Mattoon,
who carries on the largest dairy in the county, keeping no less

ooIio

<

WATERTOWN.

89

than one hundred cows. In the north-western part, are the so-
called " Nonnewaug Falls," which are known to all. In the
north-eastern part of our town, on the road to Thomaston is,
" Black Rock," where a beautiful view of the Naugatuck valley
can be obtained. There is an entrance into a cave of this rock
which, however, has been little explored. The scenery from
the top of "Black rock" is one of the most romantic and
picturesque that can be found anywhere.
Watertown is known for its good roads with its fine and
shady drives, which are used extensively by people of Water
bury and surrounding towns.

WOODBURY.

j*

The grand old town of Woodbury is not only picturesque
but historic. The land is composed of beautiful rolling hills
and fertile valleys.
Over two hundred years before the settlement of Wood
bury, the Indian loved to make this section his home and here
engaged in deadly strife, and the whole land teems with legends

PARKER ACADEMY.

of the brave " sons of the forest." Among those who drew
up and signed the first articles by which the settlers of
Woodbury agreed to be governed were ancestors of General
Sherman, General Grant and Chauncey M. DePew.
Over half of the company which took Fort Ticonderoga
were inhabitants of this town.

WOODBURY. 9I
Woodbury has also taken a leading part in American
church history, for in 1783 an event occurred which was not
only of importance to the state, but also to North America, for
it was at the house of the Rev. Mr. Marshall that a meeting of
Episcopal clergymen appointed a clergyman to be ordained as
the first Bishop of the Protestant Episcopal Church of
America. Woodbury is not only historic, but it is a beautiful town,
for besides the handsome residences the streets are made
beautiful with noble elms.

HOUSE IN WHICH BISHOP SEABURY WAS ELECTED.
The Parker Academy, a preparatory school for boys and
girls, has already taken a high stand for doing thorough
work. One of the most beautiful portions of the town and one
which has many Indian legends is Orenaug Park.
Just back from Main street, and extending parallel with it,
rises a ledge of rocks 140 feet high, crowned by stately old
pines. This range forms the western front of the beautiful

92

WOODBURY.

tract of land given to the town in 1889 by Mrs. H. W. Shove,
that all might enjoy the privileges of a public park, with the
one condition that birds and all animals should remain
unmolested. The Park derived its name Orenaug, from the
Indians who formally possessed it.
Topographically, the twenty acres are most variable, com
prising many delightful ravines whose sloping hillsides are
carpeted with ferns and mosses often tenanted by squirrels
and partridges. The southern boundary is of stone work 400
feet in length. The entrance on Park Avenue is between

ENTRANCE TO ORENAUG PARK.
monuments, ten feet in height, composed of a great variety of
beautifully colored stones, furnishing opportunity for much
study in mineralogy. Much work has been done in the Park
to bring out the beauty of its natural endowments, which has
attracted visitors widely, like pilgrims to a shrine. A fund has
been established, giving opportunity to all interested through
former residence or association in this grand old town, to con
tribute, that still more may be done to increase its power of
bringing people nearer to Nature. Singing, and Bethel rocks

WOODBURY

93

are special places of interest, being associated with many
Indian legends, thus adding the charm of romance to their
surroundings. Drives are so constructed and openings made
through the trees, that one may enjoy the quiet of the dense
woods, or feast upon the extended views revealed to one from
the edge ofthe cliff, of the charming valley of the Pomperaug
and the "Ancient Town of Woodbury."

ROXBURY. j*
At one time Roxbury belonged to her sister town, Wood
bury. The town possesses much of the picturesque, which,
coupled with its historical associations make it one of the most
interesting towns in the lower part ofthe county.
A little more than two hundred years ago the Indian
roamed at will over the forest crowned hills of Roxbury, or
met in council down by the banks of the picturesque Shepaug,
and to this day are found Indian relics near Pulpit Rock, which
is situated a short distance north of Roxbury Station.

ROXBURY.
Roxbury is famous as the birthplace of Gen. Ethan Allen.
Another of her famous sons was Col. Warner, who figured so
prominently in the War of the Revolution, and at Roxbury
Center stands a monument erected in his memory.
Although no battle ever took place in the limits of the
township the remains of a camp, occupied by Gen. Nixon
during one winter in the Revolution, are still pointed out

ROXBURY.

95

It is said that Gen. Washington visited the town at one time,
and the story is no doubt true, as the Father of his Country is
known to have visited Woodbury more than once.
This town is made up of high and rugged hills from
which one may obtain extensive views, but no finer sweep of
country may be seen than that which is viewed by one who
stands on Good's Hill, which is situated about three miles

MONUMENT IN MEMORY OF COL. SETH WARNER.
east of Roxbury Center. Without doubt the most interesting
portion ofthe town is located along the banks of the Shepaug.
Shepaug is a Mohegan name meaning Rock River. Here
" Dame Nature" has been most lavish with her gifts, for the
scenery is such as might ravish the soul of a poet. Strange
and varied are the rock formations in this section while the
beauty is enhanced by the silvery river.
West of the river is a locality known as Mine Hill, where are
found spathic deposits of iron, chalybeate springs and fine
granite quarries, which are owned by the Mower Company.

96

ROXBURY.

Following the banks of the winding river for nearly two miles
in a southerly direction we come to the famous Shepaug Falls,
which have attracted so many tourists. Here we will leave the
reader to watch the eddying waters as they flow over the dark
shelf of rock and fall in a boiling mass of foam in the caldron
like receptacle below.

MINE HILL QUARRY AND CUTTING YARD.

HARWINTON.

j*

Harwinton, which is situated southeast of Torrington, is
one of the oldest towns in the county.
Many years before the advent of the white man, the Indian
roamed at will over what is now a fine farming district.
The town is composed of rolling hills from which many
beautiful views may be obtained.
The town has many historical associations. One story is
told how Washington and his troops at one time passed
through this place and dined at the old Abijah Catlin place.
This house, which stands a short distance from Harwinton
center, is in a very good state of preservation.
One of the points of interest is the Huntington Chapel,
a neat granite structure, the gift of C. P. Huntington.

ABIJAH CATLIN PLACE.

98 HARWINTON.
The pure air and fine views have drawn many people
from the large cities to spend their summers in this old town,
while a " wild agitation over a proposed trolley " may land
hundreds of city dwellers among the everlasting hills of this
lovely country village.

HUNTINGTON CHAPEL.

PLYMOUTH.

The town of Plymouth, which lies in the southeastern
portion of Litchfield county, was known by the name of
Northbury up to 1780. Prior to that time it belonged to
Waterbury, but in 1780 was set off with Watertown, and
remained so until May 1795, when it was incorporated under
the name of Plymouth. The town also embraced what is now

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OLD TRAINING GROUND.
Thomaston up till 1875, when the latter place was set off from
the town of Plymouth.
The entire town possesses much of the picturesque, and
beautiful high hills extend throughout the town, while spark
ling streams flow through deep gorges and dash over primeval
dams, forming numerous waterfalls. Beautiful drives, consist
ing in some places of macadam road, built under the super
vision of the state, extend in various directions. In some
places these roads, broad and smooth, run through growths of
woodland, or along the side of some deep wild gorge through

IOO

PLYMOUTH.

which rushes a mountain 'stream in its hurried course to join
some larger stream.
The town is very accessible, as it is within easy reach of
two railroads. Plymouth early became a manufacturing town, and to
enumerate the many enterprises that have had their birth in

CIRCULAR DAM.
this town would fill a volume. Some of the greatest inventors
of the age have resided in Plymouth, among them being
Terry, Thomas, Hoadley and Jerome, whose clocks have gone
the world over.
The lock business was first successfully started in
Plymouth and has continued to be the life of the town, and no

PL YMOUTH.

101

traveler has ever yet gone out of the sound of the celebrated
clocks named above, or the click of a Terryville lock.
In 1847 Andrew Terry started the Malleable Iron Foun
dry, which to-day is an extensive plant situated near the depot.
Not only has Plymouth been foremost in the past in
manufacturing and inventions, but in times of war has furnished
her full quota. The oldest survivor of the Revolution and last

GORGE, DEVIL'S BACKBONE.
pensioner of that war was Lemuel Cook, who died in 1866,
aged 102 years.
The Plymouth Green is also a place of much interest, as
it was used for a training ground. At present it is much
beautified by graceful elms and also contains a soldiers'
monument. This town was the home of Dorance Atwater, who, while
a prisoner in the late war, secured and brought away the only
correct list of the Andersonville dead, a list of nearly thirteen
thousand. Reader, stop for a moment and think what such a
list meant to the friends of the dead and also its worth to the
government. It was by this list that Miss Clara Barton and

102 PLYMOUTH.
Mr. Atwater were enabled to direct the making of the graves
of those thirteen thousand.
Mr. Atwater was anxious to publish his list, but the
government wanted first to make a copy ; later Mr. Atwater
was refused the list, but he retained it when the work was
finished at Andersonville Cemetery and placed it where the
government could not find it, claiming it as his personal
property secured at the risk of his life and while a prisoner of
war. Mr. Atwater was imprisoned for this act, this time in a
northern prison.
Through the efforts of Miss Barton before a joint session
of the Connecticut Legislature, Mr. Atwater's release was
obtained. He was afterward a United States consul and in
that capacity served his country faithfully for twenty years.
The famous dead list was exhibited for the first time at
Plymouth Centennial, May 15, 1896, at which occasion Miss
Clara Barton was present.
Plymouth has been the home of prominent clergymen,
skillful physicians and noted members ofthe bar.
It is not known that George Washington ever slept in any
house in Plymouth, but there are now a number of well
preserved old houses where he could have secured a night's
lodging had he come this way, and left his " Hatchet " at
home. Boys in his day did not value young trees, for tradi
tion has it that one of the clergymen of the town set out some
elm trees on South street in Plymouth Center, but they were
pulled up by the boys, whereupon the old parson announced
that if the boys would return the trees as they found them he
would give them a gallon of rum. The trees were soon found
and put in place, and now a stately row of elms stand as a
monument to the good old parson who lived in days when cus
toms differed from those of to-day.

COLEBROOK. j*
Colebrook lies just west of Norfolk, among beautiful
wooded hills, its white church spire rising from the encircling
elms and looking down the street of a typical New England
country village.
Here are no mills, or railways, or steam whistles, and here
a child may wander far and find no possible danger.
Two stores, one containing the post-office, comprise all
business done, except farming. The farms are well kept and
one sees no evidence of the decadence so often apparent in the
hill towns of Connecticut.
Well kept roads diverge from the village and mount the
hills, from which lovely views may be obtained in every direc
tion, or wind down the village beside some picturesque trout
stream. Colebrook is remarkable for the beauty of its roadside
verdure. " Boon Nature scatters free and wild
Each plant and flower, the Mountain's Child."
Ferns grow in endless variety and luxuriance, clematis and
wild grape vines festoon the shrubbery, and all kinds of wild
flowers are found each in its season including many varieties
rare or unknown in most localities, making the town a delight
to the botanist as well as to the lover of beauty.
A favorite drive of ten miles and return follows Sandy
Brook, deep among the wooded hills, to Riverton, and there
follows the Farmington on one bank as far as Pleasant Valley
returning on the other side of the river.
When near Robertsville, a small hamlet in the southern
part of the township, one should not fail to visit the celebrated
Falls ofthe Tunxis.

TUNXIS FALLS.

1 06 COLEBROOK.
Here "Dame Nature" has scattered her charms in prod
igal profusion, the result being that this spot has been the
Mecca of thousands of tourists and jolly picnicers. Here the
sparkling waters of the Tunxis plunge down a rocky defile till
it is lost in a deep pool at the foot of the dark rock.
" O Tunxis ! would I had a poet's powers
To wreath thy beauties for eternity."
This was the Tunxis of a few years ago, but the onward
march of this modern age has now invaded this beautiful spot.
Dynamite has reduced the picturesque rocks into a thousand
broken fragments, and in their place stands a power house,
while the rushing flood has been harnessed and furnishes elec
tric lights for the busy town of Winsted four miles distant.
Another pleasant drive is to Highland Lake in Winsted
five miles south. To the north lie the hills of Sandisfield from
which extensive views include the Taconics, the Catskills, and
mountains of Berkshire. In every direction is some interesting
objective point for a driving excursion.
Several years ago Colebrook was discovered as a place of
summer sojourn for those in search of genuine seclusion and
rural beauty and is growing in popularity year by year.
Although Colebrook was the last settled town in the
county, yet many of her sons have been prominent in affairs of
the nation and the little town located in the hills has no need
to feel ashamed of her past record.

TUNXIS FALLS.

BARKHAMSTED.

j»

Barkhamsted possesses much of the picturesque, for it is
composed of rugged and varied areas through which flow-
mountain streams that have been used as motive power for
many manufacturing firms.

CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH.
The town is divided into three sections, Barkhamsted
Center, Pleasant Valley, and Riverton.
In the first of these districts is located the Town Hall,
a pretty church, and a small cluster of houses.
Between the two last named districts are wild and roman
tic gorges and many pretty bits of scenery.

BARKHAMSTED.

109

The principal part of the business in town is transacted at
Riverton, a small village located about four miles from
Winsted. This little town has been famous for years for the large
number of fine rules which have been manufactured here.
The streets are broad and well shaded by fine old trees,
while the west branch of the Farmington, which flows directly
through the center of the town, adds much to the beauty and
picturesqueness of the place.

BETHLEHEM.
Bethlehem, although a small town is very interesting, as
it has many historical associations.
The occupation of its inhabitants is chiefly agriculture,
for there are many fine farms on these rolling hills.
Among the early settlers was Hezekiah Hooker, a descend
ant of the celebrated Rev. Thomas Hooker of Hartford, and a
man who did much for the town during its early existence.
This town, which lies north of Woodbury, was much
frequented when first settled, by the Indians, who are said to
have built their wigwams on the banks ofthe stream just below
the celebrated Nonnewag Falls.
These falls are situated in the southeastern part of the
town in a romantic glen and form a beautiful cascade.
Bethlehem has at different times had schools within her
borders which have drawn many scholars who have become
famous in after life.
It was at one of these schools that the famous South
Carolina Statesman, John C. Calhoun, spent a portion of his
boyhood. With all her delightful qualities, Bethlehem should be
known to the outside world at no very distant date.

CORNWALL.

¦j*
Litchfield County has been termed a veritable Switzerland,
but for wilderness, picturesqueness and grandeur, Cornwall is
unsurpassed by any of her sister towns. A series of little vil
lages, perhaps we might call them hamlets, lie ensconced
among the rugged peaks of the Cornwall Range and have all
the charm and seclusion of some little Alpine town.
From the high eminences extensive views of Litchfield
and Berkshire Hills are seen, while to the southward may be

RESIDENCE OF HON. T. S. GOLD.
obtained glimpses of Long Island Sound. It is in the southern
part of the town that the celebrated tower (now in ruins),
crowns Mohawk.
The Housatonic River forms the western boundary of the
township, adding much to the beauty of the place.
These wild and picturesque Cornwall neighborhoods have
furnished many a subject for the painters brush.

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CORNWALL.

"3

Cornwall is one of the most highly developed farming dis
tricts of the state. It is at Cream Hill that the Hon. T. S.
Gold, Secretary of the State Board of Agriculture, has his
home. Near the Cream Hill farm lies a beautiful sheet of water
which would compare favorably with a New Hampshire moun
tain lake. The village known as Cornwall Plains is one of the pretti
est in this section, for the land is very level while a short dis
tance away, steep mountains rise from the plain and add to the

RESIDENCE OF JOHN E. CALHOUN.
beauty of the scenery. Among many pretty homes may be
mentioned the fine old Colonial house owned by Mr. John
Calhoun, known as " Coltsfoot Farm.
The Housatonic Valley Institute, a model school, is also
located at this village.
A short distance south of the village is located one of the
finest groves of white pine in the state, the property 'of Mr.
Calhoun.

H4

CORNWALL.

The visitor should not fail to drive from Cornwall Plains
to Cornwall Bridge for the road is not only a fine carriage drive
but the quality and grandeur of the scenery is enhanced with
every mile of progress.
The historical associations of the town of Cornwall are of
large interest for transactions to the extent of " affecting the
weal or woe of the world have hereabouts taken place." It
was within this township that the American Board of Commis
sioners for Foreign Missions, established the first school for
the education of young people from foreign lands.
It is in Cornwall that General Sedgwick, who is known to
every school boy lived and died.
The town also has many other interesting features which
space will not permit us to mention.

KENT.
Many years ago this town belonged to Warren, but as it
stands to-day is bounded on the north by Cornwall, east by
Warren and Lake Waramaug, south by New Milford and west
by the towns of Dover and Amenia in New York state.
The whole township is broken up by mountains from 800
to 1,400 feet high, while deep valleys lie between. The
mountain sides in many places are rocky and precipitous; in
others the rise is more gradual, the sides of the hills being
covered with fine farms.
The town is one of the most picturesque in the county,
for besides the mountains there are several small lakes, while
in the southeastern portion of the town lies a part of the
beautiful Lake Waramaug. The Housatonic River runs
through the entire length of the town. Every mile of this
noble river abounds in great scenic beauty, for in places it
flows through deep and narrow gorges, over huge boulders and
rock masses and finally widens out into clear expanses.
The lakes and various mountain streams abound in fish,
and for this reason alone have become famous. A natural gap
in the West Mountains gives easy access to South Dover on
the Harlem Railroad, a distance of 69 miles from New York.
Four miles south from Kent Station the Housatonic
River breaks through a limestone ridge and tumbles over the
rocks, falling fifty feet in leaps and whirls, affording a beautiful
sight, while at high water the view is grand and imposing.
Four miles north from Kent Village a mountain stream,
running through a ravine densely shaded by hemlocks, falls a
distance of nearly 400 feet in a succession of cataracts and
rapids. Tourists pronounce these falls finer than the
celebrated Minnehaha Falls.
Very many pretty drives radiate from the village and
wind over mountains and down through fertile valleys. From
some points on the Kent hills on a clear day may be obtained

n6

KENT.

KENT FALLS.
fine views of the Catskills, while the white sails of vessels may
be discerned on Long Island Sound.
West of the Housatonic are the old tribal grounds of the
Scate Cook Indians, on which a remnant of the tribe still live.
Although the village is small and the chief business of
Kent is farming, the town has " all the dignity of an eminently
respectable New England village " enhanced by scenic beauty
which will compare favorably with the White Mountains.

ROADWAY NEAR GREAT BEND. GREAT BEND IN THE HOUSATONIC. STREET VIEW.

GOSHEN.
The township of Goshen not only possesses much natural
beauty, but has many interesting features and points of interest.
The fact that it ranks in elevation among the highest in the
state insures sweeping views and pure air.

IVY MOUNTAIN TOWER.
Three ridges of land run from north to south with valleys
between and make the landscape one of unusual diversity
while the Green Mountains terminate within the borders of the
township.

GOSHEN.

119

The town is divided into sections known as, Goshen Cen
ter, West Goshen, North Goshen and Hall Meadow located in
the eastern part of the town. The last named section was
bought by Asaph Hall when the town was first settled. Mr.
Hall was the grandfather of Prof. Asaph Hall, of Washington^
D. C, who has recently built himself a home among the
pleasant hills of his native town. The road known as East
Street, was once the prominent route in Goshen, it being a
direct way from Norfolk to Litchfield. The view from this

LOG CABIN. PROF. HALL'S RESIDENCE.
TIPPING ROCK.
street is wonderful not only showing a variety of scenery, but
of wide extent. To the west the Catskills are visible while the
spires of churches in neighboring towns may be seen from the
east, with Talcott Mountain beyond.
In 1884, a tower seventy feet high was erected on Ivy
Mountain by Franklin Wadhams and from no other place in
this section can so fine a view be obtained. It is said on a
clear day one may see the waters of Long Island Sound, while
the sparkling waters of several lakes, which are scattered
throughout the town, may be seen.

120 GOSHEN.
The town possesses a most wonderful natural curiosity in
the north part of the town, which is the Mecca of hundreds of
people who spend their summers in Litchfield and surrounding
towns, known as Tipping Rock.
Thousands of years ago when mighty glaciers swept over
our hills, this rock was borne from some northern locality and
left in the position it now occupies a wonder to all who view it.
The ground in the vicinity of this rock is covered with
many boulders of fantastic shape and size. Geologists tell us
(from the many scars and scratches on the flat rock on which
the boulder rests) that the movement of the rock was from
northeast to southwest. The rock which is of granite formation
is estimated to weigh ninety tons and is so balanced that a
child can sway it back and forth, the swing being nearly six
inches. The boulder measures nine feet nine inches in height,
thirteen feet three inches in diameter and forty feet in circum
ference. Goshen has obtained a reputation as a fine farming
country and her products, such as cheese and butter, com
mand high prices in the city markets. But_ Goshen has many
requisites for an ideal summer resort, already a few are taking
advantage of the cheap price of land while the fact that the
town will, in the near future, undoubtedly have a trolly line
which will make it accessible to the outside world, will be a
means of dotting the hill tops with summer residences from
which may be obtained pretty views of brook and forest, hill
and vale, which render the town beautiful to the lover of
Nature.

CANAAN.

j*

The town of Canaan, which includes the villages of Falls
Village and Huntsville, possesses much to attract the lover of
beauty. The surface of this town is more mountainous and rugged
than its sister town, North Canaan, and the chief occupation is
agriculture. But he who admires the beautiful will find a

HUNT SCHOOL.
pleasing diversity of mountain, valley, and wood, while the
broad and romantic Housatonic comes rolling down between
the rock-ribbed hills till near Falls Village it plunges over a
broad shelf of rock forming the far-famed " Falls," which has
been a subject for artists and photographers for many a year.

122

CANAAN.

These falls are said to furnish one of the finest water powers
in the " Nutmeg " state, and its close proximity to the
Berkshire division of the New York, New Haven and Hartford
Railroad should make an ideal site for some enterprising
manufacturer. The visitor to this quiet town should not
forget to saunter up the quaint old street, lined with wide-
spreading trees, which forms the main thoroughfare of the
town. On both sides of the street are old-fashioned dwellings

HOUSATONIC FALLS.
and business blocks, but even here modern architecture
appears in the handsome new " Iron Bank " which was erected
a few years since.
Although nearly every town in the county has a good
secondary school, Canaan is able to hold her own in educa
tional matters, for seven years ago in accordance with
bequests of the late Wealthy A. and Catharine E. Hunt a
school and library were founded in memory of their late
brother, David M. Hunt. The school building, built of brick
and consisting of two stories, occupies a pleasant site in well

CANAAN.

123

kept grounds. The upper story of this building contains the
David M. Hunt Library. The school is under the charge of a
competent principal and corps of teachers. In various parts
of the town are many fine views which are quite accessible
and which prove attractive to the visitor

LAKE WARAMAUG.

WARREN. j*
It has been said that more ministers have come from
Warren than any other town in the county. Perhaps it may
be from the fact that the little town is set high on a hill above
all of the surrounding towns and is removed from the contami
nating influences of the outside world. Although the town
is somewhat isolated from other communities, it has many
interesting features and a charm and beauty for the lover
of nature. On the farm of Justice Comstock is located one of the
finest granite quarries in the state, while the farmhouse which
is a hundred years old, is built of material taken from this
same quarry.
A short distance southwest of the village is located a hill,
known as Above-all, from whose summit sweeping views of
hill, valley, and lake may be seen ; while on a clear day the
blue waters of Long Island Sound may be seen in the distance.
But he who would see the most beautiful portion of
Warren, should visit Lake Waramaug. This lake, which is
situated in the townships of Kent, Washington, and Warren,
has the greater part of its area in Warren. This beautiful
sheet of water is one of the largest and most picturesque
in the state, being surrounded by high bluffs and hills whose
rocky faces reach to the waters edge. A good carriage drive
has been built around this lake, a distance of ten miles, and
in the whole drive there is no bit of sameness, for in many
places it almost touches the limpid waters, or lies at the
foot of bold bluffs and crags while the greater portion passes
through a fine growth of woods.

126

WARREN.

From many of the commanding sites which surround the
lake handsome summer residences and large hotels have been
built, for nearly five hundred people summer in this sylvan
spot. From the Warren shore the finest view may be obtained
from the hill on which the Hopkins place is built. Truly
within the borders of Warren is located one of the most
beautiful spots in all Connecticut.

MORRIS. ¦j*
Beautiful for situation is Morris, a little town six miles by
three, nestling among the hills to the south of Litchfield.
Lovely beyond the power of words to describe are its sunny
hills and sheltered valleys, its broad lake shimmering in the
sunlight, and its peaceful farmhouses looking out from the
surrounding trees. Seen on a sunny May day when the trees
have on their bridal array, or when the October sun has
painted the woods in scarlet and golden its picturesque beauty
will not suffer by a comparison with the famous Berkshire
hills. To quote from an old geography "The surface is diversi
fied by hills, mountains and valleys. The soil, is better
adapted to grazing than tillage, but this very lack of adaptabil
ity for agricultural purposes only adds to the picturesque
beauty of its scenery. The hills lie in long undulating ridges
stretching from north to south, higher and more precipitous in
the western part of the town, where two are of such height as
to gain the title of Mt. Tom, and Little Mt. Tom.
Mt. Tom is a cone shaped wooded knoll at whose base on
the northwest, lies Mt. Tom pond, a small sheet of water but
deep and beautifully clear. A tower crowns the mountain's
summit. From this tower one gets an extensive view of the sur
rounding country, Litchfield, Bantam and Romford villages-
Bantam Lake not far off, and on a very clear day a glimpse of
the Catskills, dim and blue in the distance.
But the most picturesque views in the town are around
Bantam Lake. Persons who have travelled far and wide have
assured me that the view from Whittlesey's hill near the south
east shore of Bantam Lake is one of the finest in the country.
This lake is three miles from north to south and from
three quarters of a mile to one and three quarters miles

128 MORRIS.
wide. There are numerous summer resorts around it from the
plain cottage which almost deserves the name of "shanty"
where parties may camp out and " rough it," to their hearts
content, — up to the stylish villa, the Club House, and the
Dutch Colonial Hotel where one can have city luxuries and
prices. Not far from the southern point of the lake is Camp
Columbia, a summer school connected with Columbia College.
A farm was leased for a term of years, buildings remodeled,
and arranged for dining-halls, kitchen, offices, etc., tents
pitched for sleeping accommodations and here about IOO
students are taught surveying and map-drawing in the most
practical manner.
Although Morris is now a quiet little town, only en
livened during the summer months by city guests attracted
hither by the pure air and lovely scenery, — it can boast of a
fame and renown, " in the days long since gone by," when
Morris Academy was in the zenith of its glory. This famous
academy was established in 1790 by General James Morris,
the greater part of whose life was spent in this place then
called South Farms. While the academy was under his care
there was an attendance of nearly 1500 different pupils from
twelve different states and from the islands of St. Thomas and
Bermudas. More than sixty of his pupils entered college
many among them afterward became men of note, among
whom were Rev. Edward Beecher, Rev. John Pierpont, and
John Brown of Ossawatomic of whom the poet Whittier says:
" John Brown of Ossawatomic they led him out to die,
And lo ! a poor slave mother with her little child pressed nigh.
Then the bold blue eyes grew tender and the harsh old face
grew mild
As he stooped between the jeering ranks and kissed the negro's
child.
The shadows of his stormy life that moment fell apart,
And they who blamed the bloody hand forgave the loving heart.
That kiss from all its guilty means, redeemed the good intent
And round the grisly fighter's hair, the martyr's aureole bent."

>z
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pi

130

MORRIS.

The old building, a plain bare wooden structure after the
fashion of a century ago, remained standing in a dilapidated
condition until about ten years ago.
Another place of historic interest is the birth-place of
John Pierpont, poet, preacher and temperance orator. Every
school-child has read or learned " Warren's address at the
Battle of Bunker Hill," of which he is the author. His old
homestead which he describes as
" A modest mansion in a sunny nook
Tall trees behind it and a babbling brook
Flowing in front '' —
is situated in the southeast part of the town on the direct road
to Thomaston, — is a wide, low farmhouse, which although
repaired and modernized to some extent, still retains the same
quaint shape and appearance which characterized it during the
boyhood of the poet, almost a hundred years ago.
There are many houses in town which date back to
Revolutionary times although their number is diminishing
yearly. There are many lovely little nooks which are a delight
to the artist, and which have formed the subject of a photo
graph, a sketch or an oil study.

BRIDGEWATER.

The township of Bridgewater is a characteristic New Eng
land rural district, which at one time belonged to New Milford.
The land is hilly and agriculture is the leading pursuit.
The town, like several others in Western Connecticut
possesses a most beautiful feature, namely the Housatonic
River which affords much variety to the scenery.
Ouiet and beautiful is this little town with its roadsides
lined "with wide-spreading trees, while fertile farming districts
stretch out toward New Milford.
Churches of several denominations are found in the town
and the inhabitants are intelligent and well-to-do.

WASHINGTON.

The traveler arriving by the winding Shepaug Railroad, is
quite prepared to appreciate the succession of delightful and
peaceful views which are opened up during the ascent of nearly
a mile of good road, leading to the rural village of " Washington
Green." The town was named Judea, by the first settlers.
The only palliation for the change, is that the immortal George
is said to have made this his first namesake.
It has been said that the church was the Queen Bee of the
Puritan community, so it is not surprising to find that as early
as 1742, twenty-six members of Judea society unanimously and
lovingly agreed upon a place for a meeting-house. This was
the site it now occupies.
In 1748 the Reverend Daniel Brinsmade became the
pastor and continued in the office until 1793. Like most of
the settled ministers of that day, he acquired a large tract of
land, and his family took root here to such an extent, that with
one exception all his descendants are still residents of the town.
Naturally they have had much to do in shaping the character
of the town in all directions.
It was a magnet (now Mrs. Gunn) in the Brinsmade
family which fastened Mr. Gunn and led to the founding of the
Gunnery, a boarding school for boys in 1850. Mr. Gunn,
always loyal to the best interests of his native town, made the
terms for day pupils such, that all the young men and maidens
could secure the advantages of a permanent school of high
order. The home of the Gunnery was so attractive and the
boys so happy in the town that many have returned to make
this the summer home of their mature years.
William Hamilton Gibson owed much of the bending of
the twig which became the beautiful tree of knowledge of
nature, animate and inanimate, to Mr. Gunn and his free life in
Washington. He came here for his summerings many years.

WASHINGTON. I33
Here he made the first exhibition of his wonderful charts in his
never to be forgotten morning talks. His beautiful home, the
"Sumach's," was hardly completed when suddenly death
removed him in 1896. His life conferred distinction upon the
town and was a benediction as well.
E. K. Rossiter the architect, also a Gunnery boy, has an
interesting and charming place near the Green. It includes
the Rocking Boulder called " Sampson's Rock." The house is
built upon a crag, and the place is fitly called " The Rocks."
Mr. Rossiter has done more than any other man to open to

WM. HAMILTON GIBSON HOUSE.

view the heart of Picturesque Washington. About ten years
ago he became owner of Steep Rock, a remarkable ledge five
hundred feet high, overhanging the Shepaug, which runs in the
form of a horse-shoe at its base. By degrees he has added to
this four hundred acres of what may be called primeval forest.
Here Mr Rossiter has built about six miles of driving road
following the winding of the river, which it crosses several
times by low bridges, over bluffs and ridges under the Rock,
and on to its summit. This drive is pronounced by intelligent
travelers unsurpassed in loveliness in this country or any other.
To get its ravishing beauty one should take this drive in the

134

WASHINGTON.

time of the Laurel bloom. This shrub is here in great abun
dance. Much of it is of primitive growth reaching the height
of fifteen feet. Scattered on the hillsides among the hemlocks
or bordering the lower roads, the effect of the dainty pink
clusters of this mountain flower is fine. The moral beauty of
this gift to the people exceeds the material. Generations yet
unborn will bless Mr. Rossiter for this, as well as for the
hundreds of shade-trees he has planted by the roadsides.

RESIDENCE OF MR. E. K. ROSSITER.
A cluster of three beautiful cottages, with extensive
grounds, occupies the western slope ofthe hill commanding an
extended view of the valley and distant hills ; they are owned
by R. S. Barnes (another Gunnery boy) and the families of
Mairs and Lecome. " The Knoll " which now includes the
" Grove " is the delightful and artistic home of E. H. Van
Trigen of New York, the pioneer of the cottagers here. In
close proximity to this is the Gunnery, which in its forty-
seventh year, sustains its excellent reputation under the care
of Mr. and Mrs. J. C. Brinsmade — its extensive athletic
grounds include the Gymnasium, and connects with " The

WASHINGTON.

•35

Ridge" an attractive Old Colonial home of recent date where
Mr. W. G. Brinsmade has a home school for a limited number
of boys. In this neighborhood for nine months of the year most of
the real life of the town centres, coasting, skating, foot-ball,
dancing and other evening amusements keep the active young
blood from stagnation.
The walks and drives about Washington are numerous
and varied in interest. Between breakfast and dinner, one
can take the fine level road following Bee Brook, with its many
turns, its rustic bridges to Lake Waramaug, back over Baldwin

THE GUNNERY.
Hill, and feel that nineteen miles of more beautiful scenery
would be hard to find. A hilly road of seven miles in another
direction reaches Bantam Lake, the largest in the state. The
Walker Brook road, on to Church Hill down through the
woods, by the brook-side to Judd's Bridge and home by the
cool and shady River-road. Mt. Tom with its pretty lake and
the tower on the summit, back by "Chittenden's four corners"
(now Woodville) following the river to Romford are drives
full of interest and beauty. Painter's Hill should be taken in
the afternoon to see the sunset behind The Catskills, The

136

WASHINGTON.

Hemlocks, Whittlesey Valley, Bell Hill, Nettleton Hollow, and
enough others to allow a new drive every day for six weeks.
Then for a morning walk, or evening stroll, what can be more
beautiful than Sunset Hill (where a vesper service is held
quite often on Sunday evening in summer) unless it be the
Old North road to Malbury Brook or the " Overlook road "
from which can be seen the whole village with the distant hills

ATHLETIC GROUND, GUNNERY.
as a background. Social life in Washington is at all seasons
comfortable, but not conventional — the habits and manners
are rural, but not rustic. Two well sustained churches on the
Green, a free reading-room with library of nearly three thou
sand volumes founded in 1854, an Entertainment Hall where
lectures, concerts, dramas etc., are often given through the
year, furnish opportunity for amusement and improvement,

WASHINGTON. I37
For those so disposed tennis and golf give abundant
chance for active exercise.
Mr. Frank Heath in the summer of '96, with generous
hospitality laid out an exceptionally fine golf course of nine
holes on his own land. This commands one of the finest views
in the town and has many national hazards, as stone walls,
ditches, trees, brooks etc. There is also an excellent spring
of cold water on the place.

ROAD TO STEEP. |ROCK.
Fishing for black bass in the lake and trout~jin the brook
affords much sport in the season — success is capricious — the
same can be said of hunting.
Mr. Arthur D. Woodruff has a pleasant summer home
here, " Orchard Terrace " and contributes to the summer
pleasure by his own music, and that of his musical friends who
visit him. There is no hotel in Washington but several excel
lent boarding-houses, where many deligntful people find pleas
ant quarters during the summer months, among these are found
preachers, doctors, bankers, lawyers, artists, musicians and many
of lesser note. Flora McFlimsey and Mrs. Grundy never come,

BRIDGE TO LUCKY ISLAND, STEEP ROCK PROPERTY. VIEW ON SHEPAUG FROM STEEP ROCK.

UNDER STEEP ROCK.

WASHINGTON. i39
" Valley Station" is the attractive stopping-place of most
ofthe cottagers who find a shady drive free from dust, to their
homes. Within a stones throw is the » Holiday House " built
by E. H. Van Ingen and given to the "Working Girls' Club "
of St. Bartholomew's church New York; the house and all its
appointments are first-class, it accommodates about sixty and
is generously and pleasantly conducted.
" Washington Depot " one mile from the Green is a neat
and thrifty village containing four churches and about sixty
houses. Here all the business of the town is done. Nearly all

BONFIRE IN GROVE NEAR GUNNERY.
kinds of merchandise is to be found here so satisfactory as to
supply most ofthe demands of citizens and summer people.
The farms are well-kept and productive, mostly occupied
by their owners. The farm-houses are neat and tasteful.
Another point of interest in Washington is the quaint old
town of New Preston, situated in the northern part of the
township and near the shores of the beautiful lake Waramaug.
New Preston has several quaint old houses and there are
many historic associations connected with the place. In this

140

WASHINGTON.

town is situated the Upson Seminary, a school for boys, which
has already obtained a wide reputation.
New Preston's natural beauties are unexceled by few
towns. From the Pinnacle, which is a rugged height of land
rising from the waters of Lake Waramaug may be obtained a
view which will reward him who makes the steep climb. To
the west and north are a " wild tumult of hills " and misty
valleys, to the south lies the picturesque Shepaug valley while
at our feet shimmers the blue waters of the lake.

UPSON SEMINARY.
Wood, hill and dale vie with each other in all directions
to make up a beautiful and varied landscape
The following we quote from the " Life and letters of Dr.
Bushnell, who was born in New Preston." The outlet of Lake
Waramaug is from the southern end and pours its foaming
stream through a narrow valley from which hills on either side
rise steeply. The mills and shops that line this stream and
use its water power, and rugged farms that climb the hillsides
compose the village of New Preston, that still nestled in the
safe seclusion of woods and mountains, keeps much of its old
character of isolation from the world.

Philadelphia, Reading
™? New England R. R.
POUGHKEEPSIE BRIDGE ROUTE.
RUNS THROUGH COACHES DAILY,
(Except Sundays),
Grand Central Depot,
(New York),
between the < and Winsted, Norfolk,
Canaan, Salisbury,
^ and Lakeville,
Via THE NEW YORK CENTRAL R. R.
"HARLEM DIVISION ROUTE."
Making Quicker Time than by any other Route
and Without Change of Cars.

During the season of open navigation a Special Express Train
is run to and from Hartford and Poughkeepsie in connection with the
DAY LINE OF STEAMERS,
on the Hudson River. Making a most enjoyable trip to and from
New York, via that route.
For Time Tables and particulars, apply to the undersigned.
W. J. MARTIN,
General Pass. Agent, Hartford, Conn.

DKSTE©
J®lb PrnrmUnrnK

'00

SSdry^lding ... West Winsted, Conn.

Commercial Printing.
Book and Job Work a Specialty.

. . PRICES TO SUIT ALL
E. H. DeMARS, Manager.

WM. L. GILBERT
CLOCK COMPANY... . .. WINSTED, CONN.

Manufacturers and
Importers.

SALESROOMS — 37 aud 39 Maiden Lane, N. Y., 54 and 56 Madison
Street, Chicago, 111.
BRANCH OFFICES — San Francisco, Montreal, Bostou, Bio de Janeiro
Brazil.

E. W. SPURR, Prest. Wm. KANE, Secy. H. C. GAYLORD, Treas.
TUne oo
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COAL - LUMBER - HARDWARE
FLOUR - FEED.

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3 9002 00603 67 bl

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