Last week we had the privilege of taking a fun, history-filled field trip to Lebanon, CT to see the Lebanon Historical Society Museum and the Trumbull Cemetery. Before you get freaked out that we visited a cemetery, you should know that it was VERY cool, filled with graves of men who fought for our country during the American Revolution.
Before I get to all our pictures of the day here is a little historical background about Lebanon ---
The archaeological record is not clear whether Native Americans lived in this region continuously, but by the time of European settlement in the late 1600s, the land was occupied by the Mohegan Indians. The Mohegans, an Algonquin-speaking people, inhabited the upper Thames River Valley near Norwich and used Lebanon primarily for hunting.
Mohegan sachem Uncas began selling parts of what would become Lebanon to settlers from Norwich in 1663. By 1692, most of modern-day Lebanon had been transferred to English settlers including members of the Mason and Fitch families. The General Assembly of the Colony of Connecticut incorporated the town on October 10, 1700. Tradition suggests that the town was named because early settlers compared the “height of the land and a large cedar forest” to the Biblical description of Lebanon.
A prosperous farming community during the colonial period, Lebanon reached its greatest importance during the American Revolution. Governor Jonathan Trumbull, a resident, used a store house on his property for meetings of the Council of Safety. This council organized Connecticut’s defense and participation in the War. After the arrival of allied French troops in Newport in 1780, the French light cavalry set up winter quarters in Lebanon. The French commander, the duc de Lauzun, commented that “Siberia alone can furnish any idea of Lebanon, which consists of a few huts scattered among vast forests.”
In the years following the Revolution, other eastern Connecticut towns thrived as mills and factories were built to take advantage of abundant water power. In Lebanon the economic focus remained agricultural and the town became something of a backwater although four additional Connecticut governors (Jonathan Trumbull, Jr. 1797-1809, Clark Bissell 1847-1849, Joseph Trumbull 1849-1850, and William Buckingham 1858-1866 and the first governor of Wisconsin (Nelson Dewey 1848-1852) were born there. By the end of the 19th century, Lebanon’s agricultural nature attracted immigrants from Italy and parts of Eastern Europe. The center of town retained the original mile long green, common land used for grazing while the business center moved north to Liberty Hill.
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Pretty interesting history there, huh? I had no idea that a town just ‘up the road a bit’ had so much rich history!!
It was free to tour the Historical Society building – they have many interesting artifacts and such from the history of Lebanon. We were also able to watch a short, 8 min video describing the history of the town during the war. Then we went down the hall to the room the kids REALLY loved …
It was an interactive room meant to help kids see what it would have been like to live during that time. They had costumes to try on, activities to try, timelines full of history across the walls, etc … the kids stay there and ‘played’ for about an hour!
Then we headed outside and across the street to walk Lebanon’s mile long town green – it was the longest town green I’ve ever seen! A beautiful packed gravel path goes the whole way around the green and would be a fantastic place to get in a good long walk!
We walked over to check out a few of the historical buildings on the green – the Wadsworth stable was originally situated on the Jeremiah Wadsworth estate in Hartford. Wadsworth, a close friend of the Trumbulls, served as commissary general of the Continental Army and later as chief agent supplying the French troops. He also hosted the first meeting between Governor Trumbull, General Washington, and the French commander, the Comte de Rochambeau. The original stable on the Wadsworth property was razed in 1801 as a fire break and a new stable in the Palladian style of architecture erected in its place. This building was moved to Lebanon in 1954 because it was threatened with demolition.
The Dr. William Beaumont Homestead
Dr. William Beaumont (1785-1853) is often referred to as the “Father of Gastric Physiology.” He is famous for his experiments on the effects of the digestion process. His 1833 book about his work became a staple of the medical community and is still used today. He was born in the house his father Samuel Beaumont had built around 1750. The house was moved from its original location by the Beaumont Medical Club of Yale University Medical School to its current location behind the Governor Trumbull House.
The War Office
After the beginning of hostilities between the American colonies and Britain in 1775, Governor Trumbull converted his former store into his War Office. Here he met with the Council of Safety, which was empowered to manage all of the State’s affairs related to the war effort. Although the Council often met in Hartford or elsewhere, more than 500 of its 1,000 meetings took place in this building. Many important national leaders, including General George Washington, General Henry Knox, the French commander General Rochambeau, and the Marquis de Lafayette passed through its door. The war office is now a museum owned by the Connecticut Society of the Sons of the American Revolution.
The Jonathan Trumbull Jr. House
In 1777, Jonathan Trumbull Jr. purchased this house, which he and his family had been living in since 1769. Master-joiner Isaac Fitch then remodeled the interior with elaborate woodwork that remains in place today. The younger Trumbull was a Harvard graduate and a merchant dealing in whale oil, flour, and ship building. When the Revolutionary War started, he served as Paymaster General for the Continental Army and the first Comptroller of the U.S. Treasury. From 1781 to 1783, he served as General George Washington’s military secretary. Later in life he became a Congressman, U.S. Senator, and governor of Connecticut.
To walk around and imagine that the General George Washington {among many other great men!} walked those very steps and stood in those very buildings was very, very cool and fascinating to me!
After walking the town green we headed down the road a bit to the Trumbull Cemetery.
We saw the gravesites of MANY of the Trumbull family members.
And the grave of William Williams who was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence {and also married to one of the Trumbull’s daughters}
This is William Williams’ grave {below}
It was amazing to see all the graves of men who fought in the Revolutionary war – really makes you appreciate the sacrifices our military men and women make for us!
The kids, being typical kids and all, fully enjoyed running through the grave yard playing hide and seek – well, I guess you can’t really blame them, right?!
But my friend Cindy and I were enthralled reading the inscriptions on the graves! Some were so interesting and so many of them had amazing things written about them being men of honor and integrity. We were also saddened at times to see ones where a young child or baby had died or where a Mother had out-lived ALL of her children. It made us wonder who these people were and what their stories were.
All in all it was a very interesting and educational day. Here is the link for the Lebanon Historical Society in case you’re ever interested in going there or checking it out.
