The
Old State House
Designed by Charles Bulfinch,
this was Connecticut's state capitol from
1796 to
1878, and now
holds the city's information
center and museum shop.
The Richardson
A Connecticut
brownstone
by Henry Hobson Richardson is an architectural landmark
still in use.
Travelers
Tower
Hartford's tallest observation
point stands on
a spot where
Connecticut's royal charter disappeared and was
hidden
in the cavity
of a nearby oak tree.
Wadsworth
Atheneum
Hartford's fine art museum has over 60,000
items of painting,
sculpture, and contemporary and modern art.
Burr Mall
A shady,
fragrant spot with a fountain and Alexander
Calder's
Stegosaurus (1971).
Center Church and Ancient Burying Ground
Thomas Hooker, founder
of Hartford, preached here, and is probably
buried here.
The gravestones date back to 1640.
Bushnell Park
With 500 trees of 150 varieties, Bushnell
Park is an Olmsted oasis in the middle
of the busy city with an antique carousel still
in operation.
The Capitol and Lafayette
Square
Connecticut's State Capitol is a
potpourri of architectural
styles, with the
Museum of Connecticut History
(and its Samuel Colt collection of more
than
1000 firearms) and The Bushnell concert
hall nearby.
Mark Twain House at Nook Farm
The famous author lived in this magnificent
Victorian pile for 17 years,
and wrote Tom Sawyer and many
of his other greatest works here.
Harriet Beecher Stowe House at
Nook Farm
Mrs Stowe wrote Uncle
Tom's Cabin
in Brunswick ME,
but she lived and wrote here
from 1873 until her death in 1896.
Other Fine Houses
In addition
to its other sights, Hartford has a surprising
number of palatial
houses,
most of them still occupied by wealthy
families, and anyone interested in domestic
architecture should take a drive through
the residential sections northwest of downtown.
West Hartford
This garden suburb of
Hartford holds the historic boyhood home
of America's first lexicographer,
Noah Webster.
Old Wethersfield
If you like historic houses, several in
Old wethersfield, not far from Hartford,
are fine examples with period furnishings.
