Thursday, June 2: Connecticut's "Quiet Corner"

Woke to another beautiful day - clear skies and 64 degrees.  We headed north to Norwich where we caught route 169 that runs through northeast Connecticut, known as the Quiet Corner.  Small towns, many from the 1600s with regal old farmhouses, old-fashioned barns, rolling hills, unbiquitous New England stone walls and beautiful spring-flowering shrubs and trees.

Rhododendrons in purples, whites, and dark reds everywhere!

We stopped at a National Historic Site in Cranbury where Prudence Crandall allowed a black girl to enroll in her Girl's Academy in 1833 that was teaching not only the typical female curriculum of sewing and music, but foreign languages, history, geography and other courses similar to male academies.  White Parents quickly removed their daughters, so Prudence enlisted the help of both white and black important men throughout New England for their support for a school for non-white females.  Connecticut quickly enacted a law saying it was illegal for blacks to come to Connecticut for education, but Prudence continued her school.  The school was violently attacked and she finally had to close the academy, even spending a night in jail.  She eventually moved to Kansas, continuing her teaching and working for women's rights.  Fifty years later, the Federal Government apologized for her treatment by granting her an annual stipend.

   

We diverted from the scenic route to visit an old fashioned, unadulterated diner in Drayville called Zip's Dining Car. Jack had a great turkey dinner and I had a BLT - my favorite diner food from my teenage years! Reading the history of the diner I had to laugh when I saw it had been shipped there in the 1950s from Elizabeth, New Jersey. For those who do not know, Jersey is The Home of The Diner - a shiny aluminum shell housing a long counter with stools and booths along the opposite wall. The 60's brought the innovation of jukeboxes at each booth - one of the greatest things to happen to a teenager!

Continuing north on scenic Route 169, we arrived in Woodstock, near the Massachusetts border.  We visited the grounds of the Rose Cottage - a beautiful old home with pretty gardens.

Interesting carved chimneys

Beautiful Formal Gardens

We are staying the night at a campground in Woodstock that has a large private lake for catch and release bass fishing and a separate area for swimming with a sandy beach.  We are enjoying the great weather today and the forecast for tomorrow is rain.