Connecticut’s Old State House

I had a few hours to kill so I stopped in at the Old State House for a visit and then headed down the street to the Ancient Burying Ground. First, parking is relatively easy, there are plenty of options within a block. Second, the area around the Old State House is a great place to eat and shop. On my visit there was a Farmer’s Market underway with live music. It is easy to tell this is a center of activity for Hartford. The staff at the Old State House were all very nice, my entrance fee was waived being retired military, but normally it’s $ 6 for adults. There are three floors, the main level is used for weddings and events, the basement is setup for kids, with the third floor being restored. It took me 45 mins, mainly because I skipped most of the basement. This is the center of gravity for Connecticut’s history, and had several Trumball paintings on display as well. There is also an original George Washington portrait hanging in its original location. This is well worth some time to visit.

I’ve been to the State House before and by far, this was the best tour I’ve had in a while. I take a group of kids to different places in Connecticut, something I call Classroom in the Community. Our tour guide Andrew did a great job from start to finish. He answered all of the kids questions to the best of his ability. One of the kids favorite rooms at the state house was the museum of curiosities, kind of like a Ripley’s Believe it or not. The Senate and Victorian rooms are very historic and demonstrate what different periods in history were like. The State House shows time periods of Connecticut History and every time I go there I feel like I’m learning something.
On another note, I keep saying to people, one day you’ll see pay phone’s in a museum. We’ll sure enough, they have a picture and description of a pay phone in the basement room for kids. I love the quote on it: «Before there were cell phones, there were pay phones.»
Make sure you get a guided tour. The stories behind some of the items and the history of the building itself is pretty important and you would miss a lot with just a self guided tour.

Absolutely beautiful venue. I attended a campaign kickoff here, it was great. A recent web search offered these beautiful photos –
. The OSH is no longer under the jurisdiction of the City and is now a state-​run building.