We finally arrived in Connecticut after a rough ride through New York. Bumper to bumper traffic, pot holes and $62 in toll road fees. They say, the fees do not apply on the trip back.
Home to the tall ships of Mystic Seaport and New England’s only beluga whales at Mystic Aquarium, the town of Mystic exudes New England charm. The movie Mystic Pizza with Julia Roberts was filmed here along with the mansion that Bogie and Bacall honeymooned.
The main reason we picked Stonington, Connecticut to stay for a while was so Cullen could look for some of the old "Bennett" Cemeteries. There were two of them listed on the original ancestorial cemeteries registry.
This one is known as "Bennet #36". All but two of it's residents were from the Bennet clan. (note: spelling only had one "t") Most dated in the early to mid 1800's. It is located about 5 miles North of Old Mystic, out in the woods. All of the original property boundaries were marked with stone fences. This site was dedicated for a local cemetery.
This was the walking trail (above) we walked until we found the third Bennett (Bennet #34) Cemetery. This yard was not kept up, and we could hardly make out the names on the head stones.
This cemetery is located within what is now a "Natural Land Preserve" (approx 150 acres) and was about a 3 mile hike to find. The woods are filled with rock fences marking the property boundaries of the original owners. We have no idea as to which ones mark the Bennet homesteads, but since the cemetery is filled with only Bennet's, we assumed that they all belonged to the family at sometime.
This cemetery is located within what is now a "Natural Land Preserve" (approx 150 acres) and was about a 3 mile hike to find. The woods are filled with rock fences marking the property boundaries of the original owners. We have no idea as to which ones mark the Bennet homesteads, but since the cemetery is filled with only Bennet's, we assumed that they all belonged to the family at sometime.
We met Albert Hartunian (age 86) who lives across the bay from our resort. Al , (a confirmed batchelor), designed and built his "castle" on this 7 acre estate. His father bought the land in 1928 for $18,000 which had a 25ft x 25ft cabin on it which was destroyed by the hurricane of 1938. Note the suit of armor in the left turret.
This shot was taken from our balcony...you see the castle across the bay...our curiosity got the best of us and we had to drive over to get a better look. As you can see from the photos above, the owner was home and he gave us a tour of the place. I promised him I would bring him some of my homemade cooking.
Cullen out for a day of fishing with one of our neighbors (Ron Pimberton) at the Cove Ledge Inn & Marina
Cullen helping out one of our neighbors building a screen room addition to their place.
Cullen fishing off the duBois jetty located in the Borough Of Stonington...he really enjoys his fishing time but I bet he wishes he was on that Sailboat instead!
During one of our day trips, we came across a quiet little fishing village just West of Mystic called Noank. While walking around, we found this Historical Society Store Museum and found out this is where Amelia Earhart got married in 1931...Pretty Cool!
We noticed a restaurant right along the water called 'Fords' specializing in fresh lobster...we will definitely be back for that! |
I was so thrilled when my daughter Elena, and her boyfriend Devon were able to drive to Stonington to have lunch with us! We met them at a really nice place called 'Swooners' in Stonington. It was so nice to sit out on the patio overlooking the bay. The food was really good as were the Bloody Mary's!
Elena and Devon both work at Yelp in New York. They take the train most everywhere or rent a car when they want to go where the train doesn't go.
Devon is from Connecticut, his parents live in Farmington. So he knows his way around. We were very happy to finally meet him! The beautiful Stonington Harbor literally “surrounds” the Borough and isolates them from the world itself.The Northern and Eastern portions of the Stonington shoreline consists of two yacht clubs, a major marina/boat yard, the town docks which retain the last commercial fishing fleet in Connecticut, a small boat association which has a public launching area, and a public beach at the Point which is available to the public for a small daily fee. All the amenities of the Village, the restaurants, shops and historic sites are within easy walking.
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Cullen and I ventured over to New London, Connecticut to see the world's first nuclear powered submarine,The Nautilus. We were able to take the self tour in this amazing sub. On the morning of January 17, 1955, at 11 am EST, NAUTILUS' first Commanding Officer, Commander Eugene P. Wilkinson, ordered all lines cast off and signaled the memorable and historic message, "Underway On Nuclear Power." Over the next several years, NAUTILUS shattered all submerged speed and distance records. On April 11, 1986, eighty-six years to the day after the birth of the Submarine Force, the Historic Ship NAUTILUS, joined the Submarine Force Museum, open to the public as the first and finest exhibit of its kind in the world, providing an exciting, visible link between yesterday's Submarine Force and the Submarine Force of tomorrow.
Today, we drove up to Essex,CT for the Steam Train/Riverboat sightseeing journey through the beautiful Connecticut River Valley.
The State of Connecticut granted a formal lease to the Valley Railroad Company on June 1, 1970. This lease authorized the company to use the 22.67 miles of track for freight and passenger service; and on July 29, 1971 (100 years to the day of the first ceremonial run), after thousands of hours of mostly volunteer effort, the first train of the new Valley Railroad steamed from Essex to Deep River and has been steaming ever since.
The State of Connecticut granted a formal lease to the Valley Railroad Company on June 1, 1970. This lease authorized the company to use the 22.67 miles of track for freight and passenger service; and on July 29, 1971 (100 years to the day of the first ceremonial run), after thousands of hours of mostly volunteer effort, the first train of the new Valley Railroad steamed from Essex to Deep River and has been steaming ever since.
The Riverboat ride was also fun and we enjoyed hearing about all the history in this part of the country.
There are breathtaking views from the 'Becky Thatcher' riverboat cruise along the Connecticut River-bursting with lush scenery and historic sights, such as the Gillette Castle and the Goodspeed Opera House.
There are breathtaking views from the 'Becky Thatcher' riverboat cruise along the Connecticut River-bursting with lush scenery and historic sights, such as the Gillette Castle and the Goodspeed Opera House.
This is the Gillette Castle built by William Gillette (no affiliation to the razor blade). He was known for playing Sherlock Holmes in the theatre back in the early 1900s.
He promised his wife on her death bed (age 26), that he would never marry again. They were only married for 7 years when she had a ruptured appendix. They had no children and yes, he kept his word and never married again. He did however have a lot of movie friends stay over and party. In his will, he put a clause that stated the castle could not be sold too any "bumbling idiot" who didn't appreciate the history of it and the area. It created real problems in establishing a sale.
He promised his wife on her death bed (age 26), that he would never marry again. They were only married for 7 years when she had a ruptured appendix. They had no children and yes, he kept his word and never married again. He did however have a lot of movie friends stay over and party. In his will, he put a clause that stated the castle could not be sold too any "bumbling idiot" who didn't appreciate the history of it and the area. It created real problems in establishing a sale.
We took a ride to see the beaches in Rhode Island, and ended up on Watch Hill. Lots of beautiful yachts and mansions...
Our neighbor treated us to a boat-ride. So we were able to get the ocean view of some of the local sites. The Watch Hill Light House on the left is so full of history. Once occupied by Niantic Indians in the 17th century, European colonists used the area as an important lookout point during the French and Indian War and the Revolutionary War, hence the community’s name. On the right is a picture of Taylor Swift's home (currently on the market for just under $10M. This residence was originally the home of the Harkness school of Ballet.
Notable current and former residents of Watch Hill include:
Conan O'Brien, television host
Henry Ford (1863–1947), business magnate and founder of Ford Motor
Clark Gable (1901–1960), film actor
J. Stark Wayne, a tobacco plantation owner
Toby Beavers, a Manhattan nightclub owner
William Mackey, a former National Hockey League play for the Boston Bruins
The waterfront was once lined with huge Victorian hotels. However, fire and hurricanes destroyed almost all during the 20th century. The two remaining hotels, The Ocean House and the Watch Hill Inn, went through major renovations during the 2000s.
Notable current and former residents of Watch Hill include:
Conan O'Brien, television host
Henry Ford (1863–1947), business magnate and founder of Ford Motor
Clark Gable (1901–1960), film actor
J. Stark Wayne, a tobacco plantation owner
Toby Beavers, a Manhattan nightclub owner
William Mackey, a former National Hockey League play for the Boston Bruins
The waterfront was once lined with huge Victorian hotels. However, fire and hurricanes destroyed almost all during the 20th century. The two remaining hotels, The Ocean House and the Watch Hill Inn, went through major renovations during the 2000s.
While heading back from our boat ride, Cullen couldn't pass up the opportunity to throw a line in. Notice how low the rain tressel bridge was that we had to cross under. Cullen had to duck when pulling his line in, the fish he caught (Jack Blue) were ideal bait for the bigger fish. They have skin as opposed to scales. These little fish will grow up to be a mature "Blue" which weigh in at around 16 lbs. They have serrated teeth that can take a finger off if you try to pick them up by grabbing their lower jaw.
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We attended a local church sponsored fundraiser to support the Calvary Music School. The event was held in a boat repair shop large enough to support the turnout.