I'm continuing my investigation of my own back yard, Connecticut. My latest travels involved a little road trip. There were no buses or trains for this one. I live in the country part of Connecticut and there are two little towns (each around 2,00 to 3,500 residents) that live side by side and have a lot of surprises. I only visited a few.
My first stop was the Lao Buddha Arimett Aram Temple. This is in Morris, CT on Route 109 between Routes 61 and 63. This is home to Laotian Monks. The grounds are amazing, with so many beautiful temples, pagodas and statues to see. The grounds are open any time the gates to the property are open, which is quite often. Be sure to wear clothes that cover your shoulders and knees when on the property. There are some rules that may seem a bit strange to us. Women are not allowed inside the temples. Sorry ladies, that's also the reason I can't tell you what they look like inside. However, the grounds are fabulous and you can spend as much time as you want there. The monks are very pleasant; the ones who speak English. The ones who speak Laotian try to interact as well.
This is one of the things that most people don't expect to find in Connecticut, especially in the woods in Litchfield County. Just know that this is not the only Buddhist property in the state. Connecticut is diverse and the people who live here come from all over the world and enrich us with their traditions.
After leaving the tranquility of the temple, I drove a few miles west on Route 109 to Camp Columbia State Park. There's some history and quite a view at this stop.
Camp Columbia was originally established by Columbia University for use by engineering students learning to survey land. Not joking, that's the beginning. During WWI it was repurposed for students who were learning to be officers in the military to serve in the war. There were trainings for trench digging and gun training amongst other necessary training for officers of war.
Following the war years, the property hosted dignitaries from time to time. President Dwight D. Eisenhower reportedly went hunting there once.
After 1980, there were various attempts to practice forest management on the property and it was used as a tree farm more than once. There's still forest management involved in the property, even after being designated a state park and forest, but mostly it's enjoyed by residents of the area.
The tower, to be honest I don't know why it was built exactly. It's a great place to walk up and have a great view of the area. The steps are a bit unusual, being that the lower half are on the inside and the top half on the outside. However, the view is amazing from the top. The walk to the area where you can find the old building and the tower is only about a quarter of a mile from the parking area, so an easy walk.
After Camp Columbia I went on to the little town of Bethlehem. That's in Connecticut on Route 61, not the Middle East. Bethlehem is probably best known for its Garlic Festival every Indigenous People's Day Weekend. They also have a killer fall fair the weekend after Labor Day. But this day I was investigating some things I never knew about the tiny town. The first was a visit to the Bellamy-Ferriday House and Gardens.
Let me start by saying they also have a nature preserve with hiking trails and a rain garden. In the summer the property hosts music at free concerts and other events. On the property is a sculpted garden, an orchard and some French Magnolia Trees. It's stunning.
The house began in the 1700's. It expanded and changed over time as different owners and generations of owners made the house their own. Since it was acquired by the agency in 1990, they have worked to restore it to its former glory, and they've done a good job. You can't take pictures while inside the house, but it is beautiful. The tour is informative too.
There were a couple of truly notable people who lived in and were related to the owners. One of them was Francis Bellamy, grandson of the original Bellamy on the property, wrote the original version of the Pledge of Allegiance. I had no idea that someone that notable ever lived in Bethlehem.
The other extremely notable person who I'd never even heard of who owned the property was its final owner; Caroline Ferriday.
Caroline was a Francophile. She loved all things French. She was acquainted with the De Gaulle family; yes Charles De Gaulle, and particularly Genevieve De Gaulle, who was at one point arrested and incarcerated in the only women's work/concentration camp during WWII; Ravensbruck. While there, Genevieve discovered that there were 75 Polish women prisoners who were being used as guinea pigs for experimental drugs by the Nazis.
After WWII, 35 of the women survived and were returned to Poland. They suffered from medical issues that would last a lifetime. This is where Caroline Ferriday comes in. She brought those women to the United States for treatment so that they could get on with their lives. One of the women from that group lived to be 101 years old.
It's amazing what went on right here in Connecticut that we've never heard about. A true hero. There she was, right in Bethlehem.
After learning some amazing facts about residents of Bethlehem, I headed out into the country to my last stop; Nonnewaug Falls. This was an interesting hike. You can find it on All Trails and get all the nitty gritty information there.
The trail to the falls is around a half mile. The walk is easy although it does go up. I wasn't expecting that, because I was walking to a waterfall. It did go under power lines that buzzed for about two minutes. It also went in and out of meadows and fields, so I advise wearing pants vs. shorts for the hike due to ticks in the area. Use bug spray as well, for your health.
Where things got a bit weird was when I reached the falls. The trail goes to the top of the falls, and the only way to get down below the falls to get a good view is by climbing down a virtual cliff. After deciding not to do that, I saw that there seemed to be a viewpoint on the other side, so I crossed the top of the falls and made my way to that point.
As I made my way along a ledge on the side of a cliff on the opposite side of the brook, I looked over my shoulder and discovered a historical marker for the falls. Chief Nonnewaug was the last chief of his tribe and the falls are named after him. I don't know the name of his tribe, and apparently neither does anyone else, because it wasn't mentioned on the marker, but it is named after him. How someone got that gigantic heavy marker up there and attached it to that cliff I don't know, but there it is.
Once I finally reached the viewpoint I'd spotted, I got a nice view of a nice falls. It is a one and done for me. It wasn't quite worth the trouble. But, it was a charming view to finish my day with.
I just scratched the surface with my trip to Morris and Bethlehem. There's so much going on in these two small towns that it's hard to put it all in one post. Once again, there's a lot going on in the hills of Connecticut and I hope to visit a lot more places and let you in on a lot more secrets.
So, if you want to know why I live here, these are a few more reasons. So, take some time to learn about the microcosm that is Connecticut. Pack a bag, hit the road and enjoy!
https://www.damnedct.com/lao-buddha-ariyamett-aram-temple-morris/
https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/connecticut/buddhist-temple-ct/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUh-PRItxGI
https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/connecticut/camp-columbia-tower
https://www.business.ct.gov/-/media/deep/forestry/management_plans/campcolumbiapdf.pdf
https://connecticuthistory.org/hidden-nearby-camp-columbia-state-park-in-morris/
https://explorect.org/camp-columbia/
https://ctlandmarks.org/properties/bellamy-ferriday-house-garden/
https://ctvisit.com/listings/bellamy-ferriday-house-garden
https://www.cthistoricgardens.org/bellamy-ferriday-house-garden
https://www.ctexplored.org/caroline-ferriday-and-her-infinitely-generous-family/
https://connecticuthistory.org/a-godmother-to-ravensbruck-survivors/
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-man-who-wrote-the-pledge-of-allegiance-93907224/
https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/connecticut/nonnewaug-falls-trail
https://scenesfromthetrail.com/2022/05/09/nonnewaug-falls/
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