Connecticut Interesting Places to Visit

The Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art in Ridgefield was founded about 20 years ago by Larry Aldrich. He was a collector of contemporary art and is known for his exhibits which focus of the major trend in today's art world and the works of undiscovered artists. Behind the museum are slopping lawns surrounded by flowering trees and shrubs. There are sculptures by some 15 contemporary artists. The terrace overlooking the garden is a great place to sit and view the collection. Among the museum's activities is the "Artreach" program which features a series of lectures, films and slide shows given by art teachers and historians. It is offered to local schools as a part of a year-long schedule of cultural events, including group tours to museums and art galleries as well as private collections in New York City and throughout New England.

Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum is located in Norwalk. In 1864 millionaire LeGrand Lockwood built a magnificent 62 room mansion on a hill overlooking the Norwalk River. The mansion has towers, turrets, arches and iron grillwork on the rooftop. The granite building resembles a European castle. The interior of the 4 story house has fine frescoes, marble carvings, etched glass panels, marquetry and parquetry and a 42 foot high skylighted rotunda. Many of the rooms open onto a balcony that surrounds the great hall. The main stairway goes up from the rotunda to the balcony. A peacock of blue stones inlaid in a garland of marble decorates one of the mansion's 25 fireplaces. Soon after the mansion was completed the Lockwoods lost their fortune and the Charles D. Mathews family of New York bought the estate and occupied it for more than 60 years. Today it is a museum open to the public. In 1971 it was declared a National Historic Landmark and has been featured in films such as The Stepford Wives and The House of Dark Shadows. A Christmas tradition is that interior decorators deck out about a dozen rooms in the mansion with holiday decorations and an annual "community celebration" is held in December with Christmas music, refreshments and a Santa Claus.

Boothe Memorial Park is situated on a hill overlooking the Housatonic River in Stratford. It sits on 32 acres built in about 1840 and was remodeled in 1914. It is said to be "The Oldest Homestead in America" because it sits on the foundation of a 1663 house and has been continuously occupied. In the late 1900s two brothers David Beach Boothe and Stephen Nichols Boothe created the Boothe Memorial Museum, which maintains a collection of architecturally unique buildings. Some of the structures include a carriage house, an Americana museum, a miniature lighthouse, a Dutch windmill, a six-story bell tower, a pagoda like redwood cathedral and other structures. A 77 foot clock tower and belfry known as the Anniversary Tower houses family heirlooms gathered from cousins far and near, along with the family genealogy. Walking trails wind through the park to various exhibits and to a rose garden and a sundial set in a circle of stones. There are picnic tables set under the trees overlooking the river.

The Lock Museum of America can be found in Terryville. In the 19th century the Connecticut Yankees' mechanical skills were convincingly demonstrated by their work as locksmiths. The Eagle Lock Company of Terryville donated some 5,000 old locks and the Lock Museum of America opened in 1972 in a building that once served as the town hall. Then some 10 years later the museum needed more space and a permanent home was built for the collection. Every one of the original 5000 locks was manufactured in Connecticut during the 19th century. Today the collection numbers more than 23,000 and represents manufacturers from all across the country. Many from the early 20th century are also included. On display are thousands of keys and other related objects and the museum library includes lock catalogs from many early American lock manufacturers. There are eight display rooms. The newest of these is an extensive lock collection that includes a Cannon Ball Safe, 30 early era time locks, Safe Escutecheon Plates and a large number of British Safe Locks, Door Locks, Padlocks, Handcuffs and Keys. Another display room is known as The Eagle Lock Company Room and contains over 1,000 locks and keys manufactured from 1854 to 1954. The Bank Lock Room consists of bank locks, vault locks, safe locks and time locks. The Corbin-Russwin Room contains a large display of ornate hardware. Several pieces are gold plated and enameled. One of the animated displays show how a pin number lock works. The Yale Room has locks manufactured by the company from 1860 to 1950. One of the attractions here is the original patent model of the Mortise Cylinder Pin Tumbler Lock designed by Linus Yale, Jr. in 1865. Close by is a 4,000 year old Egyptian made pin tumbler lock. The Antique Lock Room contains a large display of colonial locks and Ornate European Locks dating back to the 1500s.

Talcott Mountain State Park - This park extends for more than three miles along a wooded ridge named for John Talcott, a Revolutionary War hero. The centerpiece of the park is the Heublein Tower, a famous landmark in the Farmington River valley. The tower is perched on Mount Philip, the park's highest peak, the 165-foot tower was the home of Gilbert Heublein for 30 years. He built it in 1914. To be able to reach the tower one has to climb the trail winding up the craggy mountainside from the parking lot at the foot of the ridge. Wildlife can be seen along the way and from the top bird watchers can get glimpses of bald eagles and turkey vultures. In one room of the tower is a museum that presents the history of the building which includes its use during WWII as a radio transmitter station. The trail further leads to a shelter with picnic tables and then winds back down the mountain by another route to the parking lot.

The Old-Gate Prison and Copper Mine- East Granby. Opened in 1707 the mine was the first of its kind in the American Colonies. It continued to operate for more than 65 years and at the height of its productivity more than 20 miners worked here. Attempts to smelt copper ore in America failed so the ore from the mine was shipped to England for processing. Two such valuable shipments were lost at sea so that the shipping proved uneconomical and the mine closed in 1773. Afterwards the Connecticut colony designated the mine as a prison for burglars, horse thieves, robbers and counterfeiters and named it for the infamous Newgate Prison in London. The first prisoner arrived on December 22, 1773 and escaped 18 days later. Other escapes followed some successful others not. Richard Steele, a "notorious villain and burglarian" held the record of three escapes from Newgate. In 1776 Newgate became the first state prison in America. A couple of Torries and captured British soldiers were sent here during the American Revolution. Women were first committed here in 1824.Newgate was closed about 50 years later when the prison at Wethersfield was built. There are guided tours through the tunnels where prisoners were confined.

Somers Mountain Indian Museum located in Somers was created by James R. King who started to collect artifacts at the age of eight. He studied, learned and lived on a number of Indian Reservations from Alaska to Mexico. The collection includes objects from every major North American Indian culture. The displays are of such remarkably varied items such as beadwork and the porcupine-quill work that preceded it; wampum including stone wampum 300 B.C.; arrowheads from Canada and from state in the continental U.S.; war bonnets, weapons; peace pipes, some of them about 2000 years old; papoose carriers; saddles made of buffalo bone and hide; and the newspaper, dated July 6, 1876 from Bismarck, Dakota Territory, that reported the dramatic news of Custer's last stand.

Leffingwell House Museum in Norwich was built in 1675 by Stephen Backus, son of a Norwich founder. Thomas Leffingwell bought the house in 1700 and turned it into an inn with a tavern room. An addition was added in 1715. Some years later Thomas's grandson Christopher Leffingwell, a prominent Norwich businessman added the rear section. This includes the North Hall, the kitchen and the George Washington Parlor, which was named for the general, who was entertained in this room during the Revolutionary War. Today the museum is completely restored and contains many examples of 17th and 18th century furniture. Visitors to this living museum can get a glimpse of early 18th century life. The house is filled with a fascinating assortment of pieces from each generation. To supplement the collection, items such as a canopy bed, silver and a pewter communion set have been lent by the Wadsworth Athenaeum and other American institutions.