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Travelers Tower |
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Between Main and Prospect streets, right next to the Old State House, rises Hartford's tallest observation point, the Travelers Insurance Company Tower. |
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On weekdays in summer there are tours to the top of the building, leaving every half hour on the hour and half hour. In the 15 minutes spent at the top, you'll get the best possible view of the entire city, the suburbs, and the surrounding country. The Travelers Tower stands on a spot where there was once a tavern. In this tavern, during a dispute between colonials and royal officials, Connecticut's royal charter disappeared. The charter, which granted powers of self-government to the colony, was spirited away secretly by colonials unwilling to yield their self-government to the king and hidden in the cavity of a nearby oak tree. The "Charter Oak" became famous as a symbol of Connecticut's—and America's—unwillingness to be governed by a parliament in London in which the colonial peoples had no representation. The king's men ruled Connecticut illegally for a time (they could not find the charter and thus could not destroy the legal instrument of Connecticut's self-rule), but the charter survived, and it's now on view at the State Library next to the State House. By the way, there are 70 steps at the top of the tower which you must climb to get to the observation area. Also note that tours are run off-season, but you must call to make reservations. |
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Travelers Tower peeks between two other tall buildings in downtown Hartford CT.
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