Woodstock, Connecticut is a place of great history and natural beauty. The video "Exploring Historic Woodstock Center" tours places along the Woodstock Common before walking along the portion of the Old Connecticut Path that is part of the National register of Historic Places. Highlights of the tour along the Woodstock Common include Roseland Cottage, the ancient cemetery, Woodstock Historical Society and Palmer Arboretum. Leaving the common, the tour of the Old Connecticut Path heads west along Hall Road to Eliot Rock where Rev. John Eliot preached to Wabaquassett Indians prior to settlement of Woodstock. The walk continues to Pulpit Rock where settlers met for open air church services in 1686 before construction of the meeting house. The Woodstock Historical Society and The Last Green Valley sponsor a "Walktober" walking tour of the section of the Old Connecticut Path that crosses privately owned land. Pictures taken during the October 2011 tour over Westward Hill and across the meadows illustrate the beauty of the land preserved by the landholders. The Old Connecticut Path on private lands is not open to the public. Please respect the land owners' privacy so that guided walks by the Woodstock Historical Society and Last Green Valley continue to be allowed. For more information about the Woodstock Historical Society visit http://www.woodstockhistoricalsociety.org/ The Last Green Valley provides information on upcoming "Walktober" guided walks and visiting the Quinebaug and Shetucket Rivers Valley National Heritage Corridor. Visit TLGV at http://www.tlgv.org Roseland Cottage is maintained by Historic New England. For more information about Roseland Cottage, visit http://www.historicnewengland.org/historic-properties/homes/roseland-cottage/roseland-cottage The Old Connecticut Path is one of the earliest trails followed as part of America's westward migration. As early as 1635-36, the migration from Massachusetts Bay at Boston/Cambridge west to Connecticut began following the Old Connecticut Path. Reverend John Wareham lead his congregation from Dorchester, MA to establish Windsor, CT in 1635. John Oldham traveled the Path that others followed from Watertown, MA to establish Wethersfield, CT. Reverend Thomas Hooker and his entire congregation walked along the Old Connecticut Path for two weeks across the wilderness in 1636 from Cambridge, MA to establish Hartford, CT. Join me for a walk and use your imagination to experience the landscape traveled by the pioneers of the 1600s. For more information, visit the Old Connecticut Path website at https://sites.google.com/site/oldconnecticutpath/ Send comments to oldconnecticutpath@gmail.com Post comments on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/oldconnecticutpath

• published: 14 Feb 2013
• views: 768