Winsted in Colebrook in Northwest Hills Region, Connecticut — The American Northeast (New England)

Colebrook

Photographed by Michael Herrick, April 8, 2010

1. Colebrook Marker

front

Inscription.

Colebrook. . [ front ] Colebrook. The last town in colonial Connecticut to be settled, Colebrook was named after a town in Devonshire, England. The reason is now unknown, The year 1765 saw Benjamin Horton, leader of a trickle of settlers, arrive amid virgin forests. Samuel Rockwell, among those who shortly followed, two years afterward built one of the outpost's first houses. Here, before long, was born Colebrook's first child, a boy whose parents fittingly named him Alpha. Iron forges soon developed, ore being drawn by oxen from Salisbury for smelting with the plentiful local wood. Cannon for use in the Revolution were made and lugged where needed. A story connects one of these with the piece on exhibit in Quebec whose label states: "Taken by the British at Bunker Hill." Notable structures from the past crowd about this marker. Northward, on the left is the Samuel Rockwell House (1767); below it is the Colebrook Store (1812), a Greek revival gem and a federally registered historic building. [ back ] To the left stands the combined Historical Society quarters and Town Hall (1816), built as the Colebrook Tavern to serve the needs of travelers on the old New Haven Turnpike, the road just to the right. On the west side of the church in front of the viewer is the Martin Rockwell House (1793); and, lastly the church itself rises serenely above the nearby conifers and maples. Its measurements precisely like the one attributed to Charles Bullfinch, an architect of the United States Capitol. The whole forms a setting that has been declared the best-preserved example of a small post-Revolutionary village center that has survived in the State of Connecticut, and perhaps in all New England. The Town's population peaked just before the Civil War. So did its commercial importance, which was marked by mills, a scythe factory, tanneries, and woolen and wooden-ware works. Today its cool, airy climate and rural quiet each year attract a sizeable summer colony. Erected by the Town of Colebrook The Colebrook Historical Society and the Connecticut Historical Commission 1980

[ front ] Colebrook The last town in colonial Connecticut to be settled, Colebrook was named after a town in Devonshire, England. The reason is now unknown, The year 1765 saw Benjamin Horton, leader of a trickle of settlers, arrive amid virgin forests. Samuel Rockwell, among those who shortly followed, two years afterward built one of the outpost's first houses. Here, before long, was born Colebrook's first child, a boy whose parents fittingly named him Alpha. Iron forges soon developed, ore being drawn by oxen from Salisbury for smelting with the plentiful local wood. Cannon for use in the Revolution were made and lugged where needed. A story connects one of these with the piece on exhibit in Quebec whose label states: "Taken by the British at Bunker Hill."
Notable structures from the past crowd about this marker. Northward, on the left is the Samuel Rockwell House (1767); below it is the Colebrook Store (1812), a Greek revival gem and a federally registered historic building.

[ back ]
To the left stands the combined Historical Society quarters and Town Hall (1816), built as the Colebrook Tavern to serve the needs of travelers on the old New Haven Turnpike, the road just to the right. On the west side of the church in front of the viewer is the Martin Rockwell House (1793);

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and, lastly the church itself rises serenely above the nearby conifers and maples. Its measurements precisely like the one attributed to Charles Bullfinch, an architect of the United States Capitol. The whole forms a setting that has been declared the best-preserved example of a small post-Revolutionary village center that has survived in the State of Connecticut, and perhaps in all New England.
The Town's population peaked just before the Civil War. So did its commercial importance, which was marked by mills, a scythe factory, tanneries, and woolen and wooden-ware works. Today its cool, airy climate and rural quiet each year attract a sizeable summer colony.
Erected by the Town of Colebrook
The Colebrook Historical Society
and the Connecticut Historical Commission
1980

Erected 1980 by the Town of Colebrook, Colebrook Historical Society, Connecticut Historical Commission.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Colonial Era • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1765.

Location. 41° 59.369′ N, 73° 5.751′ W. Marker is in Colebrook in Northwest Hills Region, Connecticut. It is in Winsted. It is at the intersection of Colebrook Road and Smith Hill Road, on the right when traveling north on Colebrook Road. Located

Photographed by Michael Herrick, April 8, 2010

2. Colebrook Marker

back

in front of the Colebrook Historical Society and Town Hall, originally built as the Colebrook Tavern. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Colebrook CT 06021, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Connecticut’s Berkshire Foothills

and in the Litchfield Hills.

It is also in the American Northeast

and in New England.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once Litchfield County

and also one of the original Thirteen Colonies.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 5 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Colebrook Veterans Memorial (a few steps from this marker); Hale Barn and Trail (approx. 0.8 miles away); The Rock School (approx. 1.4 miles away); M110A2 Howitzer S/P (approx. 3.7 miles away); In Honor of Lambert Hitchcock (approx. 4.4 miles away); Lambert Hitchcock (approx. 4.4 miles away); Riverton (approx. 4.4 miles away); a different marker also named Riverton (approx. 4.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Colebrook.

Also see . . .
1. Colebrook, Connecticut on Wikipedia. (Submitted on April 22, 2010, by Michael Herrick of Southbury, Connecticut.)
2. Colebrook Historical Society. (Submitted on April 22, 2010, by Michael Herrick of Southbury, Connecticut.)

Photographed by Michael Herrick, April 8, 2010

3. Colebrook Marker

Colebrook Historical Society and Town Hall image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Michael Herrick, April 21, 2010

4. Colebrook Historical Society and Town Hall

Originally the Colebrook Tavern, built in 1816.

Colebrook Congregational Church image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Michael Herrick, April 21, 2010

5. Colebrook Congregational Church

Martin Rockwell House - 1793 image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Michael Herrick, April 21, 2010

6. Martin Rockwell House - 1793

Samuel Rockwell House - 1767 image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Michael Herrick, April 21, 2010

7. Samuel Rockwell House - 1767

The Colebrook Store - 1812 image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Michael Herrick, April 8, 2010

8. The Colebrook Store - 1812

Credits. This page was last revised on May 19, 2026. It was originally submitted on April 22, 2010, by Michael Herrick of Southbury, Connecticut. This page has been viewed 1,605 times since then and 28 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. submitted on April 22, 2010, by Michael Herrick of Southbury, Connecticut.