Historic homes in Litchfield, Connecticut, bring state's past to life
Salisbury Cannon Museum
15 Millerton Road (Route 44)
Lakeville, CT 06039
Phone: 860-435-0566
Open: July-Labor Day and Columbus Day, Saturday-Sunday and holidays, noon-5 p.m.
Hands-on children's museum focusing on local iron industry and individuals who shaped the American Revolution. Adjacent to site of the first iron blast furnace (1762), built by Ethan Allen. Admission: Suggested donation, adults, $5; seniors and students, $3.
Sloane-Stanley Museum and Kent Furnace
Route 7
Kent, CT 06757
Phone: 860-927-3849
Open: Mid-May-October 31, Wednesday- Sunday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
This museum features a collection of woodworking tools, dating from the 17th century. The ruins of the Kent Furnace, in use through the 19th century are also found on the grounds. Admission: Adults, $4; seniors, $3; children, $2.50; under age 6, free.
St. James Church
25 West Street
Danbury, CT
Visitors to this church will find Tiffany glass windows and the Bulkley Memorial Carillon, the first made in the United States.
St. Peter Church
98 Main Street
Danbury, CT
Built in 1870, this church features stained-glass windows designed by the artist F. X. Zettler.
Tapping Reeve House and Law School
82 South Street
Litchfield, CT 06759
Phone: 860-567-4501
Open: Mid May - Mid October, Tues - Sat, 11 am - 5 pm, Sun 1 - 5 pm
Tapping Reeve moved to Litchfield in 1773 and began taking students the following year. Visitors explore the life of a real student
of the 19th Century. Open: Mid-April to End-November, Tues-Saturday, 11 am - 5 pm, Sun 1 - 5 pm. General Admission(Includes the Litchfield History Museum): $5; Seniors & Students: $3; Members & Children under 12: Free
Tarrywile Mansion
70 Southern Boulevard
Danbury, CT
Phone: 203-744-3130
Open daily, sunrise to sunset
Tarrywile Park offers 654 acres of fields and meadows giving way to spectacular views, dense forests of hemlock, oak and maple, rugged terrain, glistening streams and ponds, and 21 miles of cleared hiking trails and picnic areas. Guided hikes are offered monthly and a free story hour for preschoolers is held three months out of the year. Tarrywile Mansion and Hearthstone Castle are both located within the park boundaries. Both structures are listed on the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
Sites throughout Connecticut
The Connecticut Freedom Trail is list of over 60 historic locations throughout the state. Each location played an important role in the African-American journey from slavery to freedom in Connecticut. Places in addition to those listed on the Amistad Trail include historic homes, churches, graves, monuments, and sites on the Underground Railroad.
Sites throughout Connecticut
The Connecticut Freedom Trail is list of over 60 historic locations throughout the state. Each location played an important role in the African-American journey from slavery to freedom in Connecticut. Places in addition to those listed on the Amistad Trail include historic homes, churches, graves, monuments, and sites on the Underground Railroad.
American Clock and Watch Museum
100 Maple Street (off Route 6)
Bristol, CT 06010
Phone: 860-583-6070
Open: April 1-November 30, daily, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and by appointment
Permanent exhibit on the history of Connecticut clockmaking and the Industrial Revolution, housed in an 1801 mansion. Largest collection of American production clocks on display. Many clocks striking hourly. Admission: Adults, $5; seniors, $4; children, $2.
9 Main Street
Bethlehem, CT 06751
Phone: 203-266-7596
The Bellamy-Ferriday House & Garden, in the center of Bethlehem, is a property of Connecticut Landmarks. Once the home of Bethlehem's first minister, the house was built in 1754, and is filled with American and European antiques. In addition to the 1754 home, the property also features a formal parterre garden, with a collection of roses, peonies, and lilacs. To reserve tours for 10 people or more, please call 203-266-7596.
Hours: May through October, Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Admission: Adults, $7; students, teachers and seniors, $6; children age 6-18, $4.
165 Whisconier Road / Routes 25 and 133
Brookfield, CT 06840
Phone: 203-775-4628
An extended learning and research center
Brookfield’s original town hall, built in 1875, is now home to a Colonial garden, as well as changing historical exhibits and a gift shop. Guided tours are available.
Hours: every Saturday and the first Sunday of each month between May and December; second and fourth Saturdays, January through March. Noon to 4 p.m. Also open by appointment.
Bulls Bridge
Route 7
Kent, CT
Historic covered bridge, built in 1842, that spans the Housatonic River. Traffic still crosses this bridge, located near the New York state line.
C. B. Thompson Building
Route 133
Bridgewater, CT
This building housed the first mail order company in the U.S. It's now the Village Store in the center of town.
Cyrenius H. Booth Library
25 Main Street
Newtown, CT
Phone: 203-426-4533
Built on the site of Rochambeau's encampment during the Revolutionary War, this library focuses on the geneological history of the area.
Danbury Museum & Historical Society
43 Main Street
Danbury, CT 06810
Phone: 203-743-5200
Open: Year-round, call for public hours
Late 18th- and early 19th-century furnishings in the John and Mary Rider House (1785). Local hatting industry exhibits in John Dodd Shop (1790). Research library, gift shop. Birthplace (5 Mountainville Rd., c.1829) of Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Charles Ives. Contralto Marion Anderson studio. Admission: Adults, $6; seniors, $5; children, $2; under age 5, free.
Danbury Railway Museum
120 White Street and Patriot Drive
Danbury, CT 06810
Phone: 203-778-8337
Open: January-March, Wednesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Sunday, noon-4 p.m.; April-December, Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Sunday, noon-5 p.m. Rail yard train rides: April-December, Saturday and Sunday
This museum is set in Union Station, restored to its appearance as it was in 1903. Inside visitors will find antique railroad cars, railroad artifacts and memorabilia, and changing exhibits. Train rides of varying lengths are scheduled throughout the year. Admission: Adults, $6; children age 5-12, $4.
David Northrop House
Route 37
Sherman, CT
Phone: 203-354-3083
Historic home with exhibits on geneology and cooking on the open hearth.
First Congregational Church
164 Deer Hill
Danbury, CT
Classical architecture in the setting of nearby Victorian homes make this church and its surroundings a picturesque scene out of New England's history.
Historical Society Museum
22 DeForest Street
Watertown, CT 06795
Phone: 860-274-1050
Open: Wednesday, 2-4 p.m. and by appointment
Chronicles industrial, social and cultural history of the town, Victorian parlor exhibit, local research library. 1853 Nova Scotia School House. Admission: Free.
Hopkins Street Center
34 Hopkins Street
Waterbury, CT
For over 60 years, beginning in the 1920's, the Hopkins Center served the African-American community in Waterbury.
Keeler Tavern Museum
132 Main Street
Ridgefield, CT 06877
Phone: 203-438-5485
Open: February-December, tours and gift shop, Wednesday, Saturday, Sunday, 1-4 p.m.; Garden, daily, dawn to dusk.
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places. British cannonball embedded in its exterior, souvenir of 1777 battle. Late 18th-century furnishings; guides in Colonial costume. Garden with reflecting pool. Gift shop. Admission: Adults, $5; seniors, $3; children under age 12, $2.
Leatherman's Cave
Route 6
Mattatuck Trail, CT
This historic spot is said to be where "Old Leatherman", a legendary wanderer for over 25 years, spent a night every 34 days.
Litchfield Historical Society Museum
7 South Street
Litchfield, CT 06759
Phone: 860-567-4501
Open: Mid-May to Mid-November, Tuesday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sunday, 1 - 5 p.m.
The Litchfield History Museum investigates the evolution of a small New England town. Permanent & changing history exhibits. Admission:(includes the Tapping Reeve House & Law School) Adults, $5; seniors and students, $3; members and children under age 2,free.
Lonetown Farm Museum
Route 107
Redding, CT
Phone: 203-438-1529
Exhibits of historic farming tools and implements.
Marian Anderson House
46 Joe's Hill Road
Danbury, CT
The home of one of America's most famous sopranos. Marian Anderson broke the color barrier in opera in the 1930's.
Mark Twain Library
Redding Road
Redding, CT
Phone: 203-938-2545
Mark Twain founded this library near the end of his life, in 1908, in the memory of his daughter Jean.
Mattatuck Museum
144 West Main Street,
Waterbury, CT 06702
Phone: 203-753-0381
Open: Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sunday, noon - 5 p.m.; closed major holidays
Exhibits chronicle the industrial history of the Naugatuck Valley as well as its social, architectural and cultural past. Period settings, decorative arts, furniture, 19th- and 20th-century art, changing exhibits. Cafe, museum shop. Admission: Adults, $4; Children under age 16, free.
Matthew Curtiss House
44 Main Street
Newtown, CT
Phone: 203-426-2607
Built in 1750, this traditional New England salt box home is reknowned for its fireplace.
Meeker's Hardware
White Street
Danbury, CT
Phone: 203-748-8017
Open: Year-round, call for specific hours
Here's a real treat: The only hardware store in the country on the National Register of Historic Places. Harken back to the "good old days" a buy a Coke for a nickel!
Meeting House, Flagpole and Trinity Church
Main Street
Newtown, CT
These three historic landmarks sit in the center of Newtown. Most notable is the weathervane at the top of the Newtown Meeting House, with bullet-holes said to have been made by Revolutionary War soldiers.
Middlebury Historical Society
Library Road
Middlebury, CT
Phone: 203-758-2635
Open: By appointment only.
Library with documents pertaining to local history.
Old Jail and Pre-Revolutionary Cemetery
80 Main Street
Danbury, CT
Phone: 203-797-4686
Open: Year-round, call for specific hours
This historic jail was in use through the 19th century. It's most famous prisoner: P.T. Barnum, who served a sentence for libel. The jail is adjacent to a colonial cemetery.
Plumtrees School House
Plumtrees Road
Bethel, CT
The last one-room school house to operate in the United States.
Putnam Memorial State Park
Route 58
Bethel, CT
Phone: 203-566-2305
