More Civil War in Connecticut

As I mentioned in other posts, it seems every small town in New England has a Civil War memorial. I found this one in Norwich, a town about 45 miles southeast of Hartford. This statue, dedicated in April 1875, is on the town common. The bronze plaques on the side of the statue include names of Norwich soldiers who served the Union.

Happy meal?

Here's something cool my daughter whipped together.

No hoopin' tonight

ESPN, my new employer, provides a basketball court just outside the cafeteria. No basketball tonight, however. It's a bit nippy here in Bristol, with temps expected to go in the low 30s tonight. Brrrrrr.

Dazzling New England colors

A common sight in New England in mid-October: a splash of color on almost every tree. This one I found in West Brookfield, Mass.

A Civil War soldier's hometown

Ever since I purchased an original photograph of Civil War soldier Justus Wellington about two years ago, I was curious about his life. How did he die? Where is he buried? Where did he live? Today, I finally visited Justus' hometown, West Brookfield, Mass., about 50 minutes northwest of Hartford.

Wellington, a 24-year-old shoemaker serving in the Union army, was killed at the Battle of Antietam on Sept. 17, 1862. West Brookfield is a typical small Massaschusetts town, with a common, 4-5 churches and many quaint, old buildings, several dating to the 1700s. The First Congregational Church, across the street from the town common, was organized 289 years ago this weekend. (I wonder if Justus attended services there?) After visiting the town historical society (it was closed) and a cemetery in nearby Brookfield, I decided to park near the common. There were two war memorials in the park, and I was hoping to find Justus' name on one of them.


As luck would have it, he was there (above). In 1921, West Brookfield erected a monument to its sons who served in the Civil War, Spanish-American War and World War I. On the lower right on one side, I found Justus' name four spots ahead of his brother-in-law, Oliver Woodbridge. I'm sure the town common has been a favorite gathering spot for West Brookfield citizens for a couple hundred years.

This afternoon, a man and his son were metal detecting there. Who knows what they found? Coins dating to the Revolutionary era? An old horseshoe? Or perhaps a Liberty nickel from the 1940s?

A short distance from the monuments, down a pretty side road, is Pine Grove Cemetery. I noticed markers for several Civil War soldiers, and some of the graves there date to the 1800s. I'm sure there are many older ones. Is Justus buried there? We'll save that discovery for another day.

New York! New York!

If you want an energy boost, head to The Big Apple. Took a trip down there today for a little business and a little pleasure, including a short stop at the grand old lady of New York, the 102-story Empire State Building. I have never been to the top, so I stood in line for 20 minutes before realizing the trek up and down would cost me at least an hour and a half. I couldn't spare that, so I spent the time in the brew pub at the base of the building, eating dinner and sampling three glasses of Empire Beer with good friend Mike McAllister of Sports Illustrated. At left is a picture of the lobby. The long line to go to the top formed at the right. You could take an express trip to the top, bypassing the line. That's only 40 bucks. Capitalism, ya gotta love it. The energy in New York is something to behold. Almost was tempted to take in one of the three-minute street chess matches but passed. Had to get to Grand Central Station to catch the train back to New Haven, Conn. Here's one more shot of the Empire State Building from street level. Pretty impressive.

Another New England church

This one is in Simsbury, Conn., a small town about 20 minutes or so from Hartford. I snapped this picture with my cellphone camera from the back seat of our real estate agent's SUV. This church was founded in the late 1600s. Not sure of the age of this building.

Meeting the '71 World Series hero

Great day in Connecticut today. Met Steve Blass, the hero of the Pittsburgh Pirates' 1971 World Series victory over Baltimore. Blass was honored in his hometown of Canaan, Conn. The good folks there dedicated the Little League field there in his honor. It was a scene straight out of Norman Rockwell. Crisp fall weather. Blue skies. Local dignataries reading proclamations from the governor and President Bush. Little Leaguers listening in rapt attention as Blass spoke of his own playing days in the '50s on the same small ballfield in Canaan. Blass, who signed autographs after all the speeches, was one of my early baseball heroes growing up in suburban Pittsburgh. After the '71 Series, about 5,000 honored him in Canaan, about a 45-minute drive from Hartford. It was neat to see that Blass, who does color on the Pirates' radio broadcasts, hasn't forgotten his roots.