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Barnes Museum
The museum contains the historic treasures
-antique glassware collection, furniture and orientalia- of the influential
Bradley and Barnes families in their 1836 14-room house that has been virtually
unchanged since the Victorian era.
Civil War Monument
Commemorating the War Between the States, Southington's
“silent sentinel” has been guarding the town green since the 1870s.
First Congregational Church
Built on the town green in 1830, and also known
as the Third Meeting House of Southington, the classic white-spired church
was built by Levi Newell and Selah Lewis. Although the design is credited
to David Hoadley, it differs in that it has a clock in the steeple. According
to town legend, the attic housed fugitive slaves making their way north
on the Underground Railroad in the mid-1800s.
The Great Unconformity
This rare geological formation exposes layers
of rock from 400,000,000 years ago, when glaciers covered the area, and
200,000,000 years ago, the age of dinosaurs. The site is reached by a fifteen
minute hike along Roaring Brook on a moderately difficult trail.
H. D. Smith Hardware Building
This brick structure with gingerbread trim
was built in 1882 and is now occupied by John Canning & Company, a
building restoration firm.
Horace Webster House
The Greek Revival farmhouse was built circa
1837 by Horace Webster, a descendant of Noah Webster and John Webster,
governor of Connecticut in 1656, and was once part of a 120 acre farm.
It is now a private residence.
Jonathan Root House
Built circa 1720, the home, once a Revolutionary
War tavern, is believed to be the oldest in Southington. Local legend has
it that George Washington visited the tavern in 1780 on his way from Litchfield
to Wethersfield. It is now offices.
Lake Compounce Theme Park
Established in 1846, Lake Compounce is America's
oldest continuously operating amusement park. Traditional and water rides
are featured in a Victorian setting, as well as a circus-themed area for
young children, antique carousel, live entertainment, picnic grove and
sandy beach.
Marion Historic District
This federal historic district is comprised
of 18th, 19th and early 20th century homes and structures along Marion
Avenue.
Meeting House Rock
Located in historic Oak Hill Cemetery, a plaque
marks the site of the first meeting house of Southington, circa 1724-1726.
The establishment of a meeting house separate from the one in Farmington
paved the way for the creation of Southington as a community in its own
right. The cemetery, established in 1726 as Burying Ground Hill Cemetery,
contains the graves of area slaves.
Merriman Burying Grounds
One of Southington's oldest cemeteries, 35
brownstone and marble gravestones from 1760 through 1855 mark the final
resting places of some of the town's earliest settlers. Just north of the
burying grounds is the Old Wonx Spring Cemetery, thought to be a corruption
of Wongonk, the tribe of Native Americans that once lived in the vicinity.
Legend has it that an ancient Native American burial ground is located
nearby.
North Main Street Historic District
The federal historic district, located on North
Main Street just north of the town center, contains fine examples of homes
and buildings from the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries.
Old Turnpike Marker
Red sandstone milestone marker XXI, set in
place between 1795 and 1820, marked the remaining distance to Hartford
for travelers and stagecoach drivers on the old Hartford and New Haven
Turnpike.
Old West Street Schoolhouse
For 195 years, beginning in 1750, this one
room schoolhouse was where the children of Southington learned their "3
Rs." Tours may be arranged by calling the West Street School Association
at
Plantsville Historic District
The federal historic district encompasses homes
and buildings from the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Rochambeau Monument
The monument honors Jean Baptiste Donatien
de Vimeure, the Count of Rochambeau, a French patriot and general who led
6,000 troops through Southington on their way to help General George Washington
defeat the British at the Revolutionary War battle of Yorktown. In 1781
a ball was given in Rochambeau's honor at the tavern that once stood at
1089 Marion Ave. The nearby area where the soldiers made their camp is
now known as French Hill.
South End Schoolhouse
Site of a school since 1793, this one room
schoolhouse was built circa 1864 and has been restored by the Southington
Historical Society.
Southington Drive-In
One of only approximately 100 drive-ins left
in the country, the Southington Drive-In is a true piece of Americana dating
back to 1955. Seasonal.
Southington Historical Center
Built in 1902 for use as the town library, the building is now home to the Historical Society's museum collection and the Southington Arts Council. |