Hartford - the capital of Connecticut

We may not have driven far today, but we certainly put some miles in the legs. Our first stop was the Cedar Hill Cemetery to look for the Hepburn family graves to see Katharine's final resting place. It takes a little bit of finding but we get there in the end.

Hepburn family grave plots

We then move into the centre of Hartford to have a tour of the Capitol building. It would have to be one of the most impressive Capitol's that I have seen. It is ornate yet can be quite understated in the Senate and House chambers. It does have a gold dome but the statue, the Genius of Connecticut that once adorned the peak, was melted down in WW2 for the war effort and her replacement sits under the dome on the ground floor waiting for prosperity to return to Connecticut to enable the funds to be raised to return her to her rightful place.

The Capitol building

The entry foyer

The Genius of Connecticut

The House of Representatives Chamber

The Senate Chamber

The dome

From the Capitol building we walk the Lincoln Sculpture walk along the waterfront which reflects on the life and legacy of Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the USA.

Lincoln meeting Harriet Beecher Stowe

Freedom for Slaves

Bulkeley Bridge across the Connecticut River

Lincoln issued a Presidential pardon for
his son's pet turkey, Jack

The young Lincoln when he worked
in small towns

Our next tour was of the old State Capitol, which was a much more austere building, it being part of the early colonial days during Independence and the building of the state and the nation. It is now used for weddings and cocktail / dinner parties. The original building housed a Museum of Curiosities, a collection of animals and reptiles amassed by a portrait artist.

The old State Capitol

Where the original Senate met

The House of Representatives

The Museum of Curiosities

Next stop is to the house of Mark Twain. He and his wife lived in the house with their 3 daughters for 17 years during the late 19th century, during which he wrote Huckleberry Finn, Tom Sawyer, and other famous books. We were not permitted to take photos inside but the house was lavishly decorated. We learnt he was a man with strong ideas, a temper and some very good wit. He was beloved in the USA and holds a very special place in history of the USA. We also found a squirrel in the grounds.

A Lego version of Mark Twain

A bust of Mark Twain

The Mark Twain house

Squirrel

Our last stop of the day was to the Elizabeth Park, which has the oldest public rose garden in the nation. There were only a few of the roses out but when they are all in bloom it must be a magnificent sight to see.

What a fantastic day. It started out misty and wet but ended up with the sun shining. A thunderstorm moved in later in the evening but we were home before it settled in.

PS We do see quite a few squirrels, but mainly crossing the roads as we drive around so no pictures available. Our squirrel count is quite high, so much so we don't count any more!