USA > Connecticut > Windham County > A modern history of Windham county, Connecticut : a Windham county treasure book, Volume I > Part 103
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From Grass Hill, which is just east of Westford Hill across the Mt. Hope River, the view is not so extended but is equally charming. The view at the west is Westford Hill with its six terraces all wooded and the schoolhouse flag flying at the top. A vista of blue hills can be seen at the south. The Mt. Hope River after leaving the region of the reservoirs takes a winding course among pines and hardwood trees, just a little stream it is, here, with clintonia, high bush cranberry, lady slippers and trailing arbutus on its banks. Farther down in open meadows, fringed gentians and grass of Parnassus, pink orchids of four or five varieties, Indian cucumber and banks covered with laurel, sweet fern and bayberry. The stream is wider here rushing over the rocks in the spring floods and creeping among them in the summer drouth. The rocks contain a good deal of mica and some fair sized pieces have been found there. In the Loomis meadow the west branch is joined by the east branch, which comes down the rolling earth of Grass Hill from the Boston Hollow region, and boasts the highest natural waterfall anywhere on any branch of the river. From the Loomis meadow the river flows mostly through open fields with sev- eral elms and keeps in sight of the road nearly all the way to the Mansfield line.
The Chaffee reservoir is a perfect little gem of a pond covering several acres, surrounded by woods of beautiful foliage changing as the season changes from the foam-like, tasseled tree tops of spring through the deepening shades of summer to the brilliant colors of autumn; darkened here and there with the deeper tones of pine and fir, and undergrowth of laurel.
An island also covered with trees adds to the picturesque effect.
Seen from the open grassy knoll by the road, with the sunset clouds above and mist wreaths rising in the shadows, it makes a picture to be remembered. Pine Point juts out at the left; cutting off the south end of the lake, which leads the imagination to picture indefinite stretches of water beyond, thus giv- ing the effect of a much larger lake.
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Another beautiful view is from the camp under the pines where the birches dip into the water and the breeze is always cool.
Just south from the reservoir is an old burying ground. where some of the early settlers sleep. A stone wall surrounds the lot, with iron gates given by Mrs. Perry, a descendant of Capt. Jedadiah Amidon of the Revolution who was buried here.
Leaving the reservoir by the north road, up Sky Hill, one gets a beauti- ful hilltop scene toward the east and south. On the brow of the hill stands an ancient tree with whitening trunk and what branches it has left are all apparently blown toward the southeast, almost the counterpart of the "Lone Wrester" in a popular picture.
A mile farther on is the Morey reservoir and the head of the Mt. Hope River. This reservoir extends into Union, and as it lies open to the view at the west, a good view of the whole length of it can be had from the road, with woods behind it at the east and a glimpse of the distant blue hills at the southeast.
Knowlton Brook, rising in the swamps back of Westford Hill, flows south through a valley many times too large for it, through the Walker meadow, and then instead of flowing into Knowlton Pond as one might expect, it turns easterly through West Ashford, and enters the Mt. Hope near the old Bicknell place about a mile and a half south of Warrenville. Knowlton Pond lies somewhat higher than Knowlton Brook at the nearest approach, but its waters flow out toward the south where it winds back among the hills making a pic- turesque little stretch of water and a favorite fishing ground for the Waltons of the neighborhood.
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PLAINFIELD
By Ellen B. Lynch
People who have traveled far find few more beautiful avenues than Plain- field Street with its row of old, large and graceful elms on each side and the lawns of the farms and residences bordering on the street, which is now known to some extent as Main Street.
A lady who had long lived away from Connecticut, but whose childhood home was in Plainfield, once said to a Boston clergyman, a native of Plainfield, "When I was a little girl I thought Plainfield Street the most beautiful place in all the world." The reply was, "I thought so when I was a boy and I think so now." With such testimony to its beauty, residents of the town may well be enthusiastic in its praise.
The Dow Road, running east from the street for a mile and a half, is such a favorite strolling place for young couples that it is called Lovers' Lane. It abounds in wild flowers from the coming of the dandelion in spring to the time of asters and golden rod in autumn. Roses, buttercups, red and white clover, laurel, lilies, azaleas, yellow and white petaled daisies, clematis, blood- root, crane's-bill, cardinal flowers, violets, closed and fringed gentians, are found by the roadside and on the farms, though fringed gentians and blood- root blossoms are comparatively rare. At times in a minute's walk as many as six varieties of flowers are found. While the road is attractive as a strolling place, it is too steep and rough for pleasure driving.
On one of the farms on the Dow Road, a mile from Main Street, is a lot
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from which half the horizon can be seen, giving an attractive view of trees, hills and rivers and grass-covered plains.
Robbins, swallows, sparrows, yellow birds, bobolinks, blue birds, brown thrashers, cat birds, quail and black birds please both eye and ear.
The trees of the town include oak, maple, elm, chestnut, hickory and butter- nut trees, and several varieties of evergreens. Wild grapes and huckleberries abound in their seasons.
Eminences from which there are beautiful views are Academy Hill, Black, Bradford and Shepard hills. Home Hill is an attractive feature in the scenery and can be seen from various places for miles around.
From Black and Bradford hills there is a view of Jewett City and Putnam. From the top of Black Hill to Canterbury Bridge there is an avenue of maple trees, half a mile in length, set out by William Kinne about a century ago.
There are many beautiful drives in different parts of the town, the Brad- ford Hill Road which passes Edward Hall's farm and the Flat Rock Road being among them. From the elevation back of Henry Dorrance's farm is' a fine view of the surrounding country.
Moosup Pond, the Moosup and Quinebaug rivers add beauty to the scenery of the town and Babcock's Grove on the Quinebaug, a favorite place for picnic parties, is a beautiful spot.
Squaw Rocks, a name supposed to have been given by the early Indian inhabitants, is a unique locality and is also a favorite of neighborhood picnic parties, but it is less widely known than it should be. It is a ledge, near the extreme north of Plainfield and about three miles and a half from Moosup station. Tradition says that in the wars between Indian tribes, the caves in these rocks were used as hiding places for squaws and papooses. They were also popular in winter, affording shelter from cold and severe storms. This ledge extends north and south for about twenty rods. The ridge at the high- est point is nearly one hundred feet high. Some of the caves are known as The Devil's Kitchen, Old Ladies' Arm Chair and Old Ladies' Stove. There is a flat rock known as The Dancing Floor, near which is appropriately found The Fiddler's Stand, sometimes called Pulpit Rock. One cave has two open- ings from without, one of which leads into a large room, and a third passage leads to an unknown distance. It has been explored until the lights carried went out, indicating danger if the parties went further. Large trees grow apparently out of the rocks, there being no visible soil for their nourishment.
Such are some of the attractions of beautiful Plainfield.
"O, Lord, how manifold are thy works! In wisdom thou hast made them all : the earth is full of thy riches."
"He hath made everything beautiful in his time."
BROOKLYN
By George F. Genung
The highest elevation is Alworth Hill, locally known as Grant Hill, the summit of which lies on the line between Brooklyn and Hampton, and which is 749 feet above sea level. As one approaches this hill from Brooklyn Vil- lage the "little red schoolhouse," a rare survival of centralized graded instruc- tion and the collecting school team, still forms a quaint and picturesque feature in a grove on the right.
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Tatnic Hill is next in elevation, its height being 530 feet. From its top an extensive view is had of the most of Brooklyn on the north, with Killingly. Plainfield, Sterling, and Canterbury on the east and south. A spur on this hill extending southeast becomes quite precipitous, and overshadows the Canter- bury Road near the south line of the town. A shelving rock which forms a shelter halfway up the side is known as the "Lyon's Den," from the legend that a deserter from the British army found refuge and surreptitious hospi- tality there in revolutionary times.
A somewhat prominent wooded elevation of some 430 feet, just north of Brooklyn Village, is known as "Graymare Hill" from the legend that a gray mare once lost its life by falling from a precipice near its summit.
Allen Hill is a long ridge in the southeastern part of the town, scenically interesting for the views of Danielson and the Killingly hills to the east, en- joyed from the road which traverses the ridge from north to south. The hill, with its few residences of some architectural pretension, is a somewhat de- cayed reminder of former social importance in the life of the town. A neigh- borhood house with social hall and bowling alley sporadically exercises its function of keeping up a neighborhood spirit.
Well to the north of the town, on the road from Brooklyn to Pomfret Landing, is Barrett Hill, 520 feet high, at one point of which in an angle of the road, is the most magnificent eastward view readily accessible to the auto- mobilist in all the Town of Brooklyn.
Brooklyn is not very notable for its water scenery, its principal fluvial feature being the Quinebaug River, which forms the boundary between that town on the west and Killingly and Plainfield on the east. The most picturesque glimpse of that river is in plain sight from the bridge as one enters the town from Danielson. A lovely scenic bit is the so-called "ox-bow" in the river a mile further north.
The principal brook is Blackwell Brook, which flows east of south, clear across the town from the northeastern corner, and reaches the Quinebaug River in Canterbury. On this brook are two mills, near each other in the Village of Brooklyn, the Bradley mill and the Lawton mill. The pretty pond of the former delights the eye on the right of the road as one leaves the village going toward Willimantic. A quarter of a mile further south is the larger Lawton mill; and this pretty building, reflected in the mirror-like embowered pond, forms one of the most delightful features of Brooklyn scenery.
But the pre-eminent beauty spot of Brooklyn is Brooklyn Village itself. The place is beautiful, not as a "model village," not as an aestival aggregation of magnificent city estates, but as a dignified and self-sufficing neighborhood . of comfortable homes. Its streets have not the dreary commonplaceness of the mill village, nor its life the feverish shopping restlessness of the suburb. Brooklyn was once the county seat of Windham County. It still uses the old courthouse as its town hall; and indeed even now shares with Willimantic and Putnam in the county government, its third being the location of the jail. In its residences it is still redolent of the atmosphere of old-time lawyers and intellectual people. Yet it is not a wealthy place, and with frank self-respect assumes no camouflage of wealth. Central in interest and supreme in beauty is its Green, almost a literal square surrounded and diagonally crossed with well-kept roads, shaded like a park with magnificent trees, and dominated by the interesting old Unitarian Hall, originally the parish church of Israel Put-
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nam's time. The bronze equestrian statue of that eminent hero fails to func- tion, as it ought to do, as the central feature of the town, being located a little to one side near the quaint hotel which poses as the General Putnam Inn.
The main street of the village, entering from the Danielson side and pass- ing southward toward Norwich by one branch, and past the Agricultural So- ciety Fair Grounds and the cemetery toward Canterbury by the other, is lined with dignified residences. Particularly noticeable are the Isaac's residence, the beautiful stone Trinity Church with its fine rectory and spacious grounds, the Public Library, the Hatch residence, the Congregational Church, and the fine estate of the late Harry Marlor. The Green is also surrounded with resi- dences in keeping with its quiet beauty, besides the Town Hall and the brick Baptist Church.
. The main traffic thoroughfare crosses the Green diagonally from the stone- pierced guide board and well-house-the central ganglion of diverging ways- and passes the schoolhouse and the jail through the west village toward Willi- mantic. From the northwest corner of the Green the road, called the Wolf Den Drive, winds through the hills and Nature's wildness toward Bush Hill, Elliott's Station, and the famous wolf den of Putnam's legendary adventure. Almost straight north from the Guide Board and the Town Hall the road goes by the picturesque house where it is said William Lloyd Garrison was mar- ried, and past the stately Marlor residences, and leaving the village goes over the hill to Pomfret.
The west village, at a slightly lower level, is less interesting architecturally, but fully up to the average beauty of the New England country town. Brook- lyn is a place not of stirring business, but of homes; an admirable quiet spot in which to live, if not to make a living.
CANTERBURY
By Mrs. Clinton Frink
Canterbury was so named by the original settler because on approaching the site they first came to the beautiful river which the Indians called Quine- baug and as the Town of Canterbury, England, is approached by just such a beautiful river.
The banks of the Quinebaug afford beauty spots along the entire eastern side of the town and all through the valley are many old, historic Indian haunts.
Canterbury Green is a beautiful, restful spot with the old church and lawn situated at the highest pinnacle. The view from the spire of the church is regarded by tourists as most wonderful.
The old "Prudence Crandall School," now a beautiful residence, is situ- ated at Canterbury Green. Also the birthplace of Moses Cleveland, the founder of Cleveland, O., is here; and a large boulder erected in his honor attracts many visitors.
Another far-reaching view is that to be had from Westminster Hill in Canterbury, and here another old church graces the hill which can be seen miles away.
CHAPLIN
The fine state highway leading from Willimantic by way of North Wind- ham to Eastford passes through the quiet village of Chaplin, and auto-parties
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never fail to exclaim as they come upon the beautiful view of the Natchaug River Valley which is revealed in frequent glimpses as the car rolls along through the village. But first scene of beauty is that of the abrupt rocky channel of the river with its picturesque cascades and rapids, as you cross the stream at the south center.
If you choose to drive to Hampton from Chaplin by "the back way," an old highway now little used, you may revel in a view from the crest of Hamp- ton Hill that is an inspiration. If you prefer to follow the state road to East- ford, the quiet beauty of Chaplin Centre itself, with the white church on the hill, will have impressed you; while all along the way to the Eastford line you may follow the river as it winds in and out of the luxuriant growth of summer or the icy meadows of the winter time.
At the north end of the village you may, if seeking beauty spots, leave the state highway by either of a choice of routes. You may bear to the right and climb Natchaug Hill, pausing or turning to overlook the village as you ascend the hill; or you may turn to the left and go over "Tower Hill," not a state road, and to be traveled for its natural beauty and not for its bene- ficial effect on tires; but it will certainly repay for an occasional trip, as the way to cross from Chaplin Village to Mount Hope in Mansfield; for Tower Hill is all that its name implies.
EASTFORD
By John P. Trowbridge
Amid the graceful, round-topped hills, Down in the Nutmeg State, A little town, like an Angel-child, Lies asleep in the lap of Fate.
The charm of the summer sky o'erhead, The stars in the evening mild, The meadows green and the wooded paths Fill the dream of that sleeping child.
The song of the birds is in her ear With a note that is free from care The early flowers come forth to view And beauty is everywhere.
J. P. T.
"Clear as a crystal" is a Bible expression connected with the most sacred of all things-the throne of God and the Lamb. It is not with any irreverance that such beautiful language may be applied to Eastford's most famous and extensive sheet of water, Crystal Lake. It mirrors the sky perfectly. Through its clear depths one may see the sparkling sands that form its silent bed. No- where in Windham County is there a more picturesque body of water. Recently its superior merits and many attractions as a summer camping place have become appreciated by a steadily increasing number of visitors. Sloping hills and open pasture lands surround it on practically every side. There is no inlet to the lake itself. It is fed by cool springs and fountains. A few quiet
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farmhouses have for many years looked out upon its quiet surface and now bungalows of modern type are dotting its shores. There is a wonderful at- tractiveness in such a rural lake. It forever hallows the beautiful spot where God has set it on the broad bosom of nature.
"Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth" is another Bible ex- pression. Originally it referred to Mount Zion in the City of Jerusalem. The words may with peculiar fitness be applied to the charming outlook seen east- ward from the steps of the Congregational Church in Eastford Village.
More than twenty years ago, one beautiful summer Sabbath morning the Rev. Dr. William H. Moore of Hartford, then the secretary of the Connecticut Missionary Society, said as he stood on those steps that he did not know of another church in the entire state that enjoyed such a charming view of land and sky, of hill and valley, of forest and cultivated field, of village homes and quiet streams. Doctor Moore was right and many another visitor to this coun- try sanctuary has entertained the same opinion.
The church together with the "castle," a private residence near by, form a picture of rural beauty long to be remembered by every one who has dwelt in Eastford and carried with him, perhaps to the ends of the earth, a vision of his old home and the town of his dearest memories.
A half-mile eastward from the village on the road to Putnam there is a dancing little brook, crossing the highway, to join "the flowing river." A short distance up this stream, and in a spot once densely shaded by hemlocks and birches, there is a peculiarly romantic spot, known throughout the neigh- borhood as the "Indian Rock." It is in a steep declivity of the rugged hill- side and the fast flowing water, falling over hidden stones, makes a music all its own, delightful to the ear.
Tradition tells us that once the place was a wigwam of the red man, and still there are some evidences to be seen of a primitive fireplace and other signs of a human habitation. The curious visitor of today will find it a place in which to dream of the distant past-a relic of a time when only the children of the forest dwelt in the confines of what is now the lovely rural township of Eastford.
HAMPTON
By Allen Jewett
Robinson Hill is the highest point of land in town, on a clear day with a good glass a part of Massachusetts and Rhode Island can be seen and in sum- mer time it is much visited by summer residents. Here wild flowers are scattered in great varieties; at the foot of the hill west is Mericks Brook and the "Burnt Cedar Swamp" where the mountain laurel and yellow cowslips are seen in great profusion. The lover of Nature can here find plenty of inspiration for pen and pencil. This hill is about one mile northwest of Hampton Village.
Shaw Hill, so called on the early maps, is in the southern part of the town, west of Howard Valley, a short distance from Little River and the Cowantic Ledges, these ledges are about one-fourth of a mile in length and in some places are nearly forty feet in height being nearly perpendicular. This hill, though not as high as the others mentioned, is well worth visiting.
Cowantic Ledges: tradition has it that a tribe of Indians once dwelt there, hence the name. I have heard my father say that when he was a boy there
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were a few Indians in this vicinity and he had heard them tell of a battle in which the Cowantics drove their enemies off this ledge to their death. It is nearly straight up and down on the east side in places. It is a short distance west of Little River on high land, an ideal place for an Indian encampment. Miss Larned speaks of this Ledge in her "History of Windham County," Vol. I, Page 288. I do not find mention of it in any other history.
DESCRIPTION OF KIMBALL HILL By Jerome W. Woodard
Kimball Hill is one of the oldest farm places in the Town of Hampton. It was once in the Town of Pomfret and is today bounded on the west by the Canada line, so-called, which was an old parish division. The farm was orig- inally several hundred acres but now contains 250 acres. It was settled or bought from the Indians nearly three hundred years ago. The first house was torn down by the writer fifteen years ago and was a planked house, one story high. The planks were pinned on with wooden pins. The present house is about two hundred years old, has a stone chimney throughout and all of the old-fashioned equipments. The hill is about two hundred and thirty-five feet above the sea level and on clear days eleven church spires in this state and in Rhode Island can be seen from here. Lantern Hill can be seen from here to the northwest. You can also see into Massachusetts.
It is a very healthy place and a good farm. The Kimballs, the settlers and owners, of this farm, for nearly two hundred and fifty years were a long lived and hardy race, but few of them died here, as they shrunk with their great age and blew away into the valleys where they soon died for want of the pure air of Kimball Hill.
SCOTLAND
By Mrs. L. K. Fuller
Pudding Hill was so named from the fact that a traveler or peddler called at every house on the hill and all invited him to eat with them and at every house he was given pudding and milk. There is no more beautiful drive in Windham County than over Pudding Hill. The woods on the east which can be seen for miles are beautiful from April to November. In the spring the different shades of green from the pale tints of the white birch to the deep green of the pines are lovely, while in the fall there is a perfect riot of color from maples and sumac.
Parish Hill, so named from the fact that once upon a time every family on the hill was named Parish, is another exceedingly pleasant spot. The woodsy road from Scotland Village is a cool pleasant drive and from the top of the hill there is a magnificent view.
There is a beautiful view on the road from Scotland to Baltic. Just before a traveler reaches the house which for many years was occupied by the late Anthony Parkhurst, off to the west the glimpse of valley, river and mountain are charming.
The quaint deserted Village of Appoquag is very picturesque. The re- mains of a once busy mill are still there with the mill dam. About a dozen
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houses in various stages of ruin are still there. This is a favorite spot for courting and many couples can be seen there on pleasant Sundays.
The road around by Scotland Dam has many beauty spots.
EKONK HILL IN STERLING
The commanding view from the long crest of Ekonk Hill never fails to rouse the enthusiasm of travelers who have the good fortune to find that re- mote region. Somewhat off the beaten track of the conventional auto-tourist, it is a spot of wonderful natural beauty that is sought out by all who learn of it. There are thousands and thousands of well-to-do persons now residing in New York City, tired of the wear and tear of a crowded urban life, who would wish never to go back to the metropolis if only once they could drive along the crest of Ekonk Hill, and their money could soon build an array of homes along the crest which would rival in beautiful outlook the famous reaches of Morningside Heights-notwithstanding the glories of the Hudson. There is no natural beauty exceeding that of the rolling hills of Eastern Connecticut.
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