Hartford, Connecticut: Landmarks ~ History ~ Neighborhoods



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	In Bushnell Park Civil War Memorial Arch Also known as the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Arch, the Gothic and Romanesque revival monument is made of brownstone ... (more) Cherry Trees Memorial Trees around the park pond were given by the Garden Club of Hartford in 1984 to honor individuals named on the plaque. Horace Wells Hartford dentist who pioneered the use of nitrous oxide gas as an anesthetic. Dr. Wells first administered the gas to himself and had a fellow dentist pull one of his teeth. Sculptor Truman H. Bartlett. Scion of the Charter Oak. One of the only remaining descendants of the historic tree that fell during a storm in 1856. This offshoot was planted in 1871 by the 1st Company Governor's Foot Guard and is marked by a stone stating same. Hoadley Gate Jeremy Hoadley was the mayor of the city among other titles. In 1909, his grandson erected a monument to his memory at one of the bridges over the Park River to Bushnell Park. The bridge is gone but the plaque remains. Spirit of Victory Spanish-American War Memorial by sculptress, Evelyn Beatrice Longman Batchelder. Corning Fountain Designed by Massey I. Rhind, the fountain was given to the city by John J. Corning in memory of his father, John B. Corning, a prominent Hartford merchant. The sculpture depicts Native Americans engaged in hunting, fishing and fighting. The hart at the apex of the fountain is a symbol of Hartford and settlers from Hertford, England.	at the State Capitol Building Petersburg Express A 13 inch mortar used by Union troops during the Civil War in the siege of Petersburg. Dedicated to the men of the First Connecticut Heavy Artillery, which was the first volunteer regiment sworn into U.S. service for the Civil War. Miliary Prisoners ("Andersonville Boy") In memory of the men of Connecticut who suffered in Southern miitary prisions, 1861-1865. Sculptor Bela Lyon Pratt. Richard D. Hubbard Governor of Connecticut from 1877-79. He sponsored a law that finally gave women legal control over their own property. Sculptor Karl Gerhardt. Thomas Knowlton American Revolution war hero. Fatally wounded in Sept. 1776 at the Battle of Harlem, he was mourned by George Washington as "a brave and gallant officer." Sculptor Enoch Smith Woods. Israel Putnam Known as "Wolf" Putnam because as a boy he killed a wolf in its den. Hero of the American Revolution. Statue was the gift of Joseph P.Allyn and the Putnam Phalanx. Sculptor, John Quincy Adams Ward. There are also a number of commemorative items inside the state capitol building. For a list of war memorials in PDF format, click here.

	Along Main Street Count Casimir Pulaski (Pulaski Mall) A hero of the American Revolution from the battle of Brandywine, Pulaski was mortally wounded on October 9, 1779 in Savannah, Georgia. Designed by Granville W. Carter Mark Twain Monument (Library) Tribute to Samuel Clemens, one of Hartford's more well-known residents. Freedom Tree (City Hall). Dedicated to the POW/MIAs of Connecticut. City Hall Inscription (City Hall) Installed on the second floor of the atrium and giving credit to those whose contributions made the building possible. Burr Mail Dedication to Alfred E. Burr, editor of The Hartford Times from 1839 to 1900, by his daughter Ella Burr McManus. Nathan Hale (Wadsworth Atheneum) The immortal last words of Connecticut's best-known hero of the American Revolution were, "I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country." Designed by sculptor Enoch Smith Woods for a competition held in the 1880's by the State of Connecticut for a statue to be placed in the state capitol building. James J. Goodwin commissioned the statue and, when it was not chosen as the winning entry, gifted it to the museum in 1892. George Washington (Wadsworth Atheneum) Tribute to the general who visited Hartford and stayed or was entertained at the home of Col. Jeremiah Wadsworth whose residence was on the site. Given by the CT Daughters of the Revolution on the One-Hundreth anniversary of Washington's birth. Safe Arrival (Tower Square/Travelers building) Commemorating the first "travelers" to Hartford in 1636. Sculptress, Frances Wadsworth. Royal Charter Theft (Tower Square/Travelers building) Designates site of tavern where, according to tradition, the Royal Charter granted by King Charles II giving the power of self-government to the Colony of Connecticut, was spirited away to be hidden in the trunk of an old oak tree so that it would not be surrendered, as demanded by Sir Edmunds Andros, Governor of all New England.

	Plaque at the site of the Wadsworth Barn. (Tower Square/Travelers building) The home of Jeremiah Wadsworth, 18th century civic leader, was sited at the location of the Wadsworth Atheneum. Many important figures of the day met at Wadsworth's home – including George Washington, Lafayette and Rochambeau. Their horses were stabled in the Wadsworth barn, situated where Travelers Plaza is now. The actual barn was removed to the town of Lebanon, Connecticut and is currently maintained by the Daughters of the American Revolution. Site of Abel Buel's Shop (Tower Square/Travelers building) Buel (1742-1825) was a goldsmith, silversmith, jewelry designer and engraver, among other things. He achieved notoriety at an early age as a counterfeiter by altering five-pound note engraving plates into larger denomination plates, and then printing the notes on a homemade printing press. He also used the minting machine he had invented to mint the State of Connecticut's first official pennies, cast his own typeset and published the first American-made map of the United States. Founders of Hartford (Ancient Burying Ground) Obelisk of pink Connecticut granite on which are inscribed the names of the Founders of Hartford (more). Rev. Samuel Stone (Ancient Burying Ground) Tribute to another of Hartford's founders. Rev. Stone fled religious oppression of Puritans in England to come to the New World with Thomas Hooker. He negotiated the purchase of Hartford from the Suckiag Indians, and became one of the settlement's most influential founders. African-American Memorial (Ancient Burying Ground) Commemorates 63 African Americans known to have been interred in cemetery, as well as more than 250 others believed to have been there Hartford Courant (Near entrance to Ancient Burying Ground) Plaque in sidewalk marking the site of the publication's original location. Established on October 29, 1764, the Courant is the oldest continually-operated publication in the nation. It is now located on Broad Street.	Stephen Douglas (corner of Pearl St) Market at site where the "Little Giant" campaigned for president in 1860. Horace Wells (Near intersection with Asylum St) Plaque at the site of the former location where the dentist had his office and where he discovered anesthesia. Visit Bushnell Park to see his monument, or Cedar Hill Cemetery to see where he is interred. Thomas Hooker (Old State House) There is no existing likeness of the founder of Hartford. So the sculptress, Frances Wadsworth, studied the features of Hooker's many local descendants when she designed this statue. Also see Ancient Burying Ground. Rochambeau Bolder (Old State House) Marks the site of historic 1780 meeting between the Count de Rochambeau, commander of the French forces, and General George Washington. Two additional plaques on the boulder commemorate the 175th and 200th anniversaries of the Governor's Footguard, founded in 1771 and still flourishing today. Harvest Gate (between Asylum and Pratt streets) Tribute to the effort to end hunger in the greater Hartford area. Brown Thompson & Company (at corner of Temple Street) While not a memorial plaque in the usual sense, the bronze sign that has graced the face of the Cheney (now Richardson) Building for over 100 years and marks the site where one of the city's premiere department stores once stood. Matthew Furlong (at New Ross Park on the I-84 deck) Plaque that commemorates an event in the history of sister city New Ross, in County Wexford, Ireland during the 1798 rebellion wherein Matthew Furlong was shot dead as he tried to surrender at the Three Bullet Gate. Keney Tower (corner of Ely) Given to the city by two Hartford merchants, Walter and Henry Keney, in honor of their mother, this tower stands on the site of the Keney's former home and was built to house a clock and chimes. (more)
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