Connecticut Miscellany:: ESPN, The Age of the Reptiles, CowParade & More (Miscellany

by Wilson H Faude

A presidential portraitist, a two-headed calf and a national landmark that inspires creativity--extraordinary tales abound in Connecticut from Hartford to Bethlehem, from New Haven to Bristol and all points in between. Learn about The Age of Reptiles"--a 110-foot-long, 16-foot-high mural skillfully crafted by painter Rudolph Zallinger at the Peabody Museum in New Haven. Visit the Goodspeed Opera House built along the Connecticut River in 1876. Restored in 1963, this small theater continues to bring East Haddam to Broadway. Experience the first broadcast of world-renowned ESPN and its sprawling 128-acre campus in Bristol. Author and historian Wilson H. Faude chronicles these exciting tales and more in this eclectic collection of Connecticut history."

144 pages, Paperback

First published June 18, 2013

Reviews

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is exactly what it says it is "Connecticut Miscellany." Each short chapter discusses something in Connecticut that has no relation to anything else in the book aside from being in Connecticut. What I enjoyed about this particular book is that it was full of things I "knew" about, but I didn't know any details. One example is a small memorial off of Rt. 44 when you cross over Avon Mountain from West Hartford. I must have driven past that thing hundreds of times and if I ever thought about it, it was simply to think "Why would they put that THERE? This mountain is dangerous and there have been so many accidents here with a 10% grade." Well, that memorial is to James MacDonald who is informally known as the "Father of American Highways" and that particular road used to have a 25% grade. Another example is a chapter about the original design of Constitution Plaza in downtown Hartford. There's a photo of the area with the old Americana Hotel which is now an apartment building. I lived there for about six months and always thought the area was wasted. Now I know why. I enjoyed every chapter of this book except the final one about Christmas cookies. I learned an awful lot about Connecticut too.