LIFE

Feldspathic Arenite Triassic-Jurassic Brown Sandstone, or simply brownstone, has been a treasured building material for the people of this region for centuries. Relatively easy to harvest and work, local brownstone is both strong enough for sturdy buildings and soft enough for their nuanced decorations.

Italian Americans have been making major contributions to Rocky Hill since they came here in 1898 to work in the quarry. They have made a positive impact including contributions to our governance and commerce.

Long before Lake Garda became the neighborhood families know today, the land surrounding it was quiet and untouched. There was no lake, no homes along the shoreline, no roads winding through the pines, and no children running toward the water. There were only fields, forests, and open pastures where cattle grazed peacefully. Harry John Battistoni saw more than an empty piece of land. He saw a place where families could gather, children could spend summers swimming and boating

There is a book by historian Barbara Tuchman, who wrote the landmark book “The Guns of August” entitled “The First Salute.” This book describes a privateer, the Andrew Doria of Maryland, entering the harbor at the Dutch island of St. Eustatius and receiving a welcoming salute from the island’s government.

A longtime Wethersfield resident who battled to retain music education, art, history and culture now finds that fighting for the right side of the “American Experiment” is in his DNA. Literally.

During the winter of 1775-1776, militiamen from the Middletown Upper Houses participated in the siege of Boston, preventing the British Army from moving any further into the colony by land. Many of these Upper Houses patriots served in Col. James Wadsworth’s 23rd Regiment of Connecticut Militia under the command of Capt. Comfort Sage.

Many of us pass beneath the bridge nicknamed “Big Bird” so routinely that its presence has become almost invisible—at least a few times each week, and often more. If you have a child attending Union School or Farmington High School, stop for groceries at Stop & Shop, or conduct business at Town Hall, you may cross under it several times in a single day. Yet even in the familiarity of daily travel, it still draws the eye. We glance at its rust-colored sidewalls and faded lette

Rocky Hill is blessed with deep and interesting history from dinosaurs to modern enterprise. The Rocky-Hill-Glastonbury ferry, since it is still in operation after almost 370 years, is one of our most-valued treasures.