The Guilford Green Lamp and Historic Plaque

click here for fullsize view

Guilford Green lamp, plaque

The focus of these historic plaques is to take strollers on the green on a brief historic journey of Guilford. These vignettes touch on the varied history of the green itself, the lives of five important people in Guilford history, and a short description of our five historic museums. These plaques celebrate historic Guilford and are especially interesting for children (they are mounted at 3.5 feet off the ground,) and hopefully will encourage all of our stewardship of the green and of Guilford itself. It might even be helpful to have docents out there on Saturdays at 1pm for example to give a tour around the green that would encourage visitors to stop by our museums.

For more information on the Guilford Green Lamps and Plaques, contact Kathryn H. Greene at the Greene Art Gallery.
The Guilford History that is on the Plaques

1. Origins of Green
The green is the heart and pride of Guilford. As early as 1639, it was laid out by the plantation surveyor as a communal ground around which the homelots were arranged. The design of the village center revolved around this dedicated public space.
2. Size of Green
Guilford Green was laid out as a parallelogram in the flat plan bordering the West (Menunkatuck) River. Town Fathers sheared off portion of the green on the south and east sides in the 17th century to provide sites for blacksmiths. Today, the green contains approximately 7 3/4 acre.
3. Buildings on Green
Long ago, Guilford Green contained pond holes, hollows, hummocks, hay grass, and weeds. Public buildings stood on high ground: Town House on the north end; Academy near the northwest corner; First Congregational Church near the northeast corner and Christ Episcopal Church near the southeast corner.
4. Green as a Sacred Place
Besides public buildings, Guilford Green has contained a tall liberty pole, hay scales, an open bandstand, and a whipping post. It was used as a drill ground for the local militia. Today the green is enjoyed in many ways, but fundamentally as a sacred space for rest, recreation, and celebration.
5. Green as a Common
Guilford Green has been owned and used in common by the townspeople for more than 350 years. Long ago, cattle, sheep, geese, and swine were turned out to wander at large. Laws were enacted beginning in 1816 to restrain wandering animals in public places.
6. Green as a Graveyard
Guilford Green was a burnial ground for the town's first settlers. It is estimated that 1500+/- persons have been interred along the east side of the green, giving particular meaning to the common as a sacred place. In 1824, the selectmen directed removal of monuments for the purpose of leveling the grounds.
7. Post Road Crosses the Green
Guilford is midway beyween the commercial centers of New York and Boston and has always been a halfway station on the old Boston Post Road. The Post Road crossed the green on a diagonal from northwest to southeast. Stage coaches thundered across it carrying mail and travellers.
8. Soldier's Monument
The centerpiece of Guilford Green is Soldier's Monument, which honors the 56 Guilford men who died for their country during the Civil War. The pedestal's cornerstone, made of Leete's Island granite, was laid on Memorial Day, 1877. Fundraising for the statue continued until 1887, when it was finally dedicated.
9. Guilford Fair on Green
Guilford Green was the resplendent setting for the annual Guillford Fair, staged by the Guilford Agricultural Society, 1859-1968. Early fairs, billed as "cattle shows," featured cattle parading around the green. It is reported that a procession of 426 team of cattle participated in the first fair day parade.
10. Lighting on Green
The first lighting on Guilford Green was the result of fundraising efforts by a group of women who organized in 1874 as the United Workers for Public Improvement. By 1897, the UWPI had erected nearly 100 kerosene-lantern lamps throughout the village, similar to those that stand on the green today.
11. Beecher Family
The Reverend Lyman Beecher and Roxanna Foote Beecher of Guilford were the parents of Harriet Beecher Stowe, author of Uncle Tom's Cabin. In 1862, President Abraham Lincoln met Hariet and exclaimed, "So you are the little woman who wrote the book that started this great war!"
12. Fitz-Greene Halleck
An early American poet, Halleck was honored with a statue in New York's Central Park. Born on the west side of the green in 1790, he wrote his first poem at age 13. His imagination, love of nature, and lyrical expression made him the favored poet of his time.
13.. Agnes Dickingson Lee
In 1781, Lee fired the cannon that warned Guilford of the British landing at Leete's Island. She courageously protected her daughters from the Tories, hid confiscated articles in her soup kettle, and bravely rescued live ammunition from a fire on her property.
14. William Leete
Leete was a founder of Guilford and an early governor of Connecticut. He bravely defied the King of England and hid two "regicide judges" in the cellar of his shop. The Leete familly still owns Leete's Island, the land granted to William Leete by a grateful community.
15. Shaumpishuh
Shaumpishuh was the female chief (sachem squaw) of the Menunkatuck Indians, a small band of the Quinnipiac Tribe who occupied the land that later became Guilford. The English newcomers provided the group with protectioin from their enemies and they lived together in peace.
16. Dudley Farm
The farm was built in 1844 by Erastus Dudley, a farmer and owner of a grist mill and tannery. North Guilford's agricultural heritage is preserved in this 19th century farm museum. Located on Route 77, it is run by the Dudley Foundation and is open to the public.
17. Faulkner's Lighthouse
Built in 1802 by an Act in Congress, Faulkner's Island Lighthouse is a revered landmark in Long Island Sound. It is maintained by the U.S. Coast Guart as an active aid to navigation. In 1991, Faulkner's Light Brigade was formed to create a master plan of preservation.
18. Thomas Griswold House
Thomas Griswold built this classic New England saltbox circa 1774 for his sons. It is furnished in the style of the early 19th century. Operated by The Guilford Keeping Society, the house is located on Boston St. and is open to the public. The society also maintains a second museum, the Medad Stone Tavern.
19. Hyland House
George Hyland lived on this site as early as 1660 and was succeeded by Ebenezer Parmelee, an ingenious clockmaker and carpenter. The Hyland/Parmalee House is a museum of early American colonial life. Restored by the Dorothy Whitfield Historic Society in 1918 and located on Boston St., it is open to the public.
20. Henry Whitfield House
Built in 1639 for Henry Whitfield, a founder and first minister of Guilford, it is the oldest house in Connecticut and the oldest stone house in New England. Located on Old Whitfield St., it is open to the public as a state museum.