Winsted, Connecticut in Litchfield County is right on the border with Massachusetts. Heading north of Winsted feels like a trip into the Great North Woods of my imagination. Head south and you are in the suburbs of New York. Winsted itself looks like an old New England town with a village green. In the middle of the green is a monument to the nearly 300 men from the local area who served in the war. The statue is located on Park Place and South Main St.
Although the village looks rural, it was one of the first mill towns in New England. With the Mad River and Still River converging here, a ready source of hydro power made this a perfect site for manufacturing. While the mills have largely closed, visitors can still see several mills next to the waterways. In addition, worker housing is readily apparent. When I show friends around the village, we look for the many signs of working class life from 150 years ago that are still readily visible.
The monument was erected forty years after the Civil War in 1904.
This 1877 painting shows how Winsted looked after the Civil War.
While Winsted is a small village with only 7,000 residents, there are a number of places to eat here. McGrane’s is right across from the village green and it is a popular place for breakfast, lunch, and dinner (except Sundays when it closes early). Asa’s Diner is a classic small town diner that is great for an inexpensive breakfast. There are two pizzarias on Main St., a Vietnamese restaurant, and a Chinese storefront. I like to have a beer and pub food at Rowley’s just south of the monument. There is also a McDonalds and a Dunkin for those desiring corporate food.
Credit: While I have been visiting this monument annually for many years, I recently read more about it in Dave Pelland’s Civil War Monuments of Connecticut – Second Edition Monument Publishing.
