Fall 2020 has me staying home an awful lot. I sure do miss the Walktober events I attended last year. Here is a look back at one of those walks - just in time for Halloween!
Another week, another Walktober event! I'm loving these walks and learning something new about my new hometown with each walk. A few days before Halloween, this walk took place in historic Norwichtown. Participants gathered in front of the Norwich Historical Society, directly across the street from the Norwichtown Green, which is quickly becoming one of my favorite places.
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| Norwich Historical Society |
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| Historic homes surround the green |
Zach pointed out many of the homes surrounding the Norwichtown Green. Some are historically significant, some may be haunted! Ghosts have been seen, noises heard, and strange events happen. This is the area of town where Norwich's founding fathers built their homes. Once an area where the jail, courthouse and post office stood, the green was also the place where people gathered to hear news, make speeches, and encouraged each other to fight oppression of all kinds. For Zack, the green was the place he played with his friends, and tossed Frisbees in his youth.
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| The crowd followed Zach across the Norwichtown Green, through a local cemetery, and along local roads |
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| It was a beautiful fall day for a walk |
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| This home for elderly women is said to be haunted by a man |
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| A trail behind the Congregational Church leads to a tranquil spot on top of the ledge - we took that hike after the tour |
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| Next, on to the cemetery... |
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| ...which abuts Loethorpe Meadows |
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The grave of Benedict Arnold's mother remains, though the graves of his father and brother were dug up and their bodies thrown into the river when Benedict was found to be a traitor. Benedict Arnold died and was buried in London, England.
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| Memorial plaque on Samuel Huntington's family tomb |
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| View to Loethorpe Meadows |
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| A creepy hand reaches from the grave |
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| Back on the street, we stopped at Samuel Huntington's home |
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| A side view sports something curious on the side of the chimney... |
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... it's Mohegan Chief Uncas! A nod to the fact that this land once belonged to the Mohegan Nation, before Chief Uncas sold a nine-mile square to settlers who founded the town of Norwich
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| A picturesque pond in the backyard... |
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| ...of this home that once hid escaped slaves on the Underground Railroad |
Today, some people still refuse to drive along Huntington Ave., after several sightings of a man floating inches above the ground, in the middle of the road.
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| Detail - Joshua Huntington Home |
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| The Samuel Abbot House 1752, is where tour leader Zach Lamothe grew up |
With the official tour over, we decided to take a hike up the hill behind the Congregational Church.
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| JoEllen poses for a photo on the hill behind the church |
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A cross, dedicated in memory of Albert Curtis Avery, stands at the peak overlooking the hills of Norwich, CT
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| My turn to pose, on hill overlooking Historic Norwichtown Green |
I don't look anything like this a year later. These days I could pass for one of the ghosts haunting the Norwichtown green. I won't show you since I don't want to frighten you too much. Let's just say, I sure am missing my nice short pre-covid-19 haircut!
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Isn't this a beautiful spot to hold church services, pray, meditate or just soak in the foliage views?
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