Litchfield Hills Connecticut Tourism
Connecticut Litchfield Hills Tourism on ConnecticutBeautiful.com. Connecticut Litchfield Tourism Region - your Litchfield of Connecticut Travel Guide to Vacations, Attractions and Events
Litchfield Law School - Litchfield, Connecticut
Litchfield Law School - Litchfield, Connecticut
The Litchfield Law School was the first formal school of law in America. Founded by Tapping Reeve, an attorney who, with his wife, Sally Burr Reeve, settled in Litchfield in 1773. Sally’s brother, Aaron Burr, came to the area, lived with them and began studying law under the guidance of Tapping. With that beginning others began to come to him to be taught. Because of the need the school was founded and produced a number of prominent leaders of the country.
Some of those that attended the school were two vice-presidents, 101 United States congressmen, twenty-eight United States senators, six cabinet members, three justices of the United States supreme court, fourteen governors and thirteen chief justices of state supreme courts. Along with these political leaders in the national level there were many who were state and local politicians, leaders in the corporate, mercantile, industrial and financial establishments that formed the United States. Along with that there were those that went on to found or teach at new law schools.
Following the Revolution most of those that studied law were taught through the apprenticeship system. When Reeve’s decided to pass on his legal knowledge through classes rather than apprenticeships it distinguished him from the old way and set him on a path of founding the school. By 1784 there were so many students that he ran out of space in his parlor office and built a one room school next to his house.
His method of teaching, along with his eventual partner, James Gould, was founded on a system of legal principles rather than local laws and statutes, his use of legal cases in teaching his establishment of student moot courts, and his division of lectures into subjects, all shaped legal education which is still used today.
There were almost 1,000 students that attended the school form every region of post-Revolutionary America. From a beginning of just one student, Aaron Burr, to the huge number a short time later this school had a huge impact on the United States.
Visit The Tapping Reeve House and Law School and have an experience as if you were one of the original students in the early 19th century. You will be involved in role-playing, hands-on areas, and interpretive exhibits. Each visitor explores timeless issues of travel, communications (no emails), education (no computers) and community.
You will meet the students watching the introductory visit "Coming to Litchfield." You will discover the students’ stories as you try on they type of clothing that students might have worn, make decisions about what supplies to buy and vote on the issues of the day. What a fabulous experience!!
Admission: For Both the Litchfield History Museum and the Tapping Reeve House & Law School:
Adults….$5, Members children under 14 and all Law Students..FREE, Seniors and Students: $3.
LITCHFIELD HISTORY MUSEUM
located at 7 South Street
mid-April through November
Tuesday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
TAPPING REEVE HOUSE & LAW SCHOOL
located at 82 South Street
mid-April through November
Tuesday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
INGRAHAM MEMORIAL RESEARCH LIBRARY
located at 7 South Street
All year
Tuesday through Friday
10 a.m. to 12 noon, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday by appointment.
This is just the beginning of all that is available with your visit to the Litchfield Law School and more. Plan on taking a whole day to do it all, you will be so glad you did!
Ansonia Nature and Recreation Center - Ansonia, Connecticut
Ansonia Nature and Recreation Center - Ansonia, Connecticut
Tucked into the Connecticut countryside is an opportunity for you to take some time out of the busy everyday life and visit nature. The Ansonia Nature and Recreational Center offers you the opportunity to walk the two and one-half miles of nature trails and see what is just waiting for you to discover. The park is owned and operated by the city.
Mattatuck Museum Arts and History Center - Waterbury, Connecticut
Mattatuck Museum Arts and History Center - Waterbury, Connecticut
The Waterbury Button Museum
The museum has a collection of 10,000 buttons in their permanent exhibit from the Waterbury Button Company more than 50 years ago.
There are buttons from all over the world with many 18th and 19th century examples. There are buttons worn by George Washington in the collection. There are buttons that were on display at the 1878 Paris Exposition, there are picture buttons, buttons made of Czechoslovakian glass, Japanese enamel, ivory, wood, china, pears and jewels along with a huge array of other types.
Railroad Museum of New England - Thomaston, Connecticut
Explore Railroad History at the Railroad Museum of New England in Thomaston, CT. The Railroad Museum of New England located in Thomaston, CT is a terrific attraction families and individuals of all ages will enjoy. The Railroad Museum of New England tells the fascinating story of the region’s railroad history through authentic rolling stock and artifacts dating to from the 1840s. In addition to passenger cars, freight cars, cabooses and an assortment of different types of locomotives, you’ll see intriguing artifacts such as signal towers and even tickets from bygone days.
