Enchanting Essex
On what was a beautiful June day last Thursday I decided it was too nice to stay in the house so I planned a drive up to the Connecticut State Veterans' Cemetery in Middletown to visit the grave of a friend and check out the cemetery as a possible final resting place for myself. As is my wont, though, I found myself distractedly wandering off of my route of travel and stopping by Essex which is located on the banks of the Connecticut River about 31 miles from where I live in Norwich. Essex - which was touted as "The Best Small Town in America" by Norman Crampton in his book " The 100 Best Small Towns in America " - is made up of three villages: Essex Village, Ivoryton, and Centerbrook. As this was sort of an unscheduled stop, I didn't get to either Ivoryton or Centerbrook but did have a pleasant time walking around parts of Essex Village. Originally named Potapoug (prior to it being called Essex Borough in 1820), Essex was part of Saybrook Township ...