Walking tour to illuminate local Colonial history

The grave of Declaration of Independence signer Samuel Huntington is among the landmarks in Norwichtown's Ancient Burying Ground. Photos by Janice Steinhagen.

Budding history buffs of all ages now have a new resource for discovering local history, and can even earn a patch to prove it. The Leffingwell House Museum is sponsoring a Historic Norwichtown Trail self-guided walk and accompanying patch for Scout groups, classes, families, residents and visitors, as a way of inviting walkers to further explore the city’s history back to 1659.

The project is the brainchild of Leffingwell volunteers Greg and Camilla Farlow. Greg, who is a Scout leader and a marketing executive, worked with Camilla, Joann Merolla-Martin and Judy Hamblin to develop the idea, and he formulated the path for the hike.

The trail starts at the Leffingwell House Museum, at 348 Washington St., and wends its way for 2.5 to 3 miles, depending on how much wandering participants do in the Ancient Burying Ground. Much of the focus is on the historic homes that rim the Norwichtown Green and their colonial-era occupants. There are also stops at such points of interest as the “Egg Rock” located at the corner of Huntington Lane and East Town Street, just past the point of the Green, and at the grave of 20 French soldiers who died while encamped on the Norwichtown Green during the Revolutionary War.

The central idea was to spotlight some of the lesser-known features of Norwichtown, said Leffingwell House Museum Director Beryl Fishbone. “There have been a lot of walking trails available” prior to this, she said. “Unfortunately, no one bothered to check their facts. On this one, we have all the correct addresses.”

Also, unlike past efforts, this tour directs participants to informative signs and specific sites along the route. “People can choose what they want to learn more about,” said Farlow.

“We wanted people to notice what they see every day all around them,” said Hamblin.

Also included are such sites as the only surviving frame silversmith shop in New England; three separate taverns (Knight-Peck, Jesse Brown, and Lord’s taverns); the Daniel Lathrop School; Lowthorpe Meadows, an early open-space preserve; and the First Congregational Church. The church and its adjacent Meetinghouse Rock, from whose heights early settlers kept watch during Sunday church meeting, are depicted on the commemorative patch.

The patch is available to Scouts and anyone else completing the trail for a $5 fee. Proceeds benefit the Leffingwell House Museum, said  Fishbone. The museum also offers its own patch for participation in group tours of the museum and an accompanying activity, also for a $5 fee.

Groups interested in participating in the walking trail should contact Greg Farlow at g_farlow@yahoo.com to receive a packet containing a map of the trail, historic information, and a questionnaire for participants to complete. Group leaders should also include the number of participants and the projected date of the hike to insure sufficient availability of patches. To participate in the Leffingwell House Museum tour, contact Fishbone at 860-887-9000 or at berylfishbone@yahoo.com.