Tootling Through Connecticut

It has been a whirlwind journey from Mystic Seaport heading northbound and westward to take in "The Constitution State" as it is nicknamed. Historic Wethersfield settled in 1634 is a primer of American colonial architecture from the 18th to 20th centuries. We took a worthwhile private tour of the Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum which is a trio of houses that depict the dwellings of three different 18th-century Americans; a diplomat, tanner, and merchant.

Each house has been restored and furnished by the Colonial Dames. The Deane house hosted George Washington for five days in Wethersfield while he met with French allies Commodates Rochambeau and Lafayette to plan the Battle at Yorktown in 1781. Seeing the bedroom where George Washington once slept and had his headquarters for a few days was exciting.

It became good lucky that the Asian Festival and Dragon Boat Races happened to fall on the weekend we arrived in Hartford. Along Riverfront Plaza some sixty dragon boat crews were competing against one another. It was also a wonderful chance to enjoy Asian dancers and musicians perform. 

The other highlight there was spending an afternoon at the Mark Twain House and Museum Center. This beloved American author, born as Samuel Clemens, had once worked as a riverboat pilot on the Mississippi where he had to “mark twain” for twelve foot depths. Later as a writer, he penned the name Mark Twain based upon his many fond memories of days on the river.

Mark Twain lego model

This Twain impostor with his beard and receding hairline is a dead gave-away

 

Passing through Bristol to the west meant a visit to the Carousel Museum of New England. Here is where we did lots of horsing around you might say. The restoration of old carousel pieces were really quite lovely. Watching a Wurlitzer piano playing merry-go-round music was indeed a hoot.

 Sadly until 1970, these glorious antiques were all to often destroyed when they were no longer able to carry riders.

Thankfully folks saw the value of these irreplaceable treasures, and dedicated artisains are returning them to their original splendor.

Next came Litchfield Hills which covers one-quarter of the state in the northwesternmost section. Nestled in the folds and foothills of the lush green covered mountains brought a day excursion rolling through quaint little hamlets of 26 towns and villages in what literally could easily be deemed Quintessential America.

Taking the road less traveled often brings the best of discoveries on the journey we find.

Imagine hauling a dory atop your car for a year.

Mariners Delight at Mystic Seaport, Connecticut

 

It has been a great few days for us knocking around at Mystic Seaport Village. Arriving early at 9:15 a.m. each morning caught good lighting for photography of the tall ships and other vessels with great reflections off Mystic River.Founded in 1939, Mystic Seaport houses the largest collection of mid- 19th century wooden boats and ships , maritime artifacts, and shipyard buildings in the world.



 

Much of the 17 acre riverfront site includes a re-created coastal village with a schoolhouse, church, and dozens of historic homes and trade shipsmith shops for cooper barrels, maritime supplies, navigational instruments, rope making, blacksmithing, and boathouses.

The last wooden whaleship in the world, the Charles W. Morgan, has an ongoing six year restoration project underway on in the Henry B. DuPont Preservation Shipyard.

 JR climbed high aboard her to observe the shipwrights working on her interior. Large white oak and yellow pine timbers were being milled into lumber right on site in the shipyard.

The 1882 training ship Joseph Conrad and the fishing schooner L.A. Dunton were more accessible to board down along the docks for me.

Up the rigging ... all part of a day's work on the Joseph Conrad

Unfurling the yardarm sail ties

Releasing the sail on a yardarm

We saw a replica of the Amistad slave ship and the 1908 steamboat Sabino, enjoyed sea chanteys, heard stories and tales about voyages of old salts, and watched boats come and go on the Mystic River.

A replica of the Amistad slave ship

Steamship Sabino on Mystic River

 Ship models, scrimshaw, figureheads, and small boats tracing the history of ships, shipbuilding, and maritime activities were interesting.

"I could get used to being skipper on this vessel."

Being a sailor JR naturally was in his element exploring around the old seafaring village bustling with the sights and sounds of 19th century life.

Even our little bears had a whale of a time

Greetings from Newport, Rhode Island… Sailing Capital of the World

Fell Bridge Lighthouse

There are a lot of choices for things to do in Newport. Being a seafaring port with lots of maritime history, we started with a visit to the Shipping Restoration School down at one of the many wharves. The building was closed so we made our way to Fort Adams where the Museum of Yachting is housed.



There were remnants on display from the Coronet, a wooden-hull schooner yacht built in 1885, which was one of the oldest and largest schooner yachts in the world. The vessel won a TransAtlantic Race in 1887. The museum also had several small rowing vessels, a few trophies from Atlantic Races, and several ship models.

Overall it seemed a bit of a disappointment from other maritime museums we’ve seen during our travels.

Once the hub of Colonial commerce, cobblestone wharves on the waterfront off Thames Street remain busy with galleries and restaurants. The Newport area became a resort town when the country’s wealthiest citizens recognized its promise as a vacation spot. In the late 1800s Newport attracted prosperous planters, coal barons, railroad magnates, and successful traders and merchants who built extravagant summer homes overlooking the Rhode Island Sound. 

The Breakers built for the Vanderbilts

Many of them like the Vanderbilts and Astors during the Gilded Age hired noted architect Richard Morris Hunt, venerated for his 19th century adaptation of the European Beau-Arts style to design their mansions. What an experience it was to visit these architectural masterpieces and see such incredible art collections. Enjoy our candids of a few Newport Mansions. 

Aerial view of Newport Mansions and the Cliff Walk Trail( Google image credit)

There is a 3.5 mile Cliff Walk around the tip of Rhode Island South surrounding many ocean front mansions

Green Animals Topiary Garden is fun

Topiary camels at Rough Point Estate. Doris Duke actually had two live camels as pets given to her by a sheik.

Terraced gardens at The Elms

The Elms estate's two carriage houses 

Chinese Teahouse on the back lawn at Marble House

The Vanderbilt's Marble House Gold Room

The Marble House patio overlooks Rhode Island Sound

In 1895 these folks didn't pay taxes