SUNDAY, JUNE 13, 2010 The Impulsive Traveler In scenic Simsbury, the past prevails
Second in a month-long series spotlighting the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Distinctive Destinations for 2010.
by Andrea Sachs Poking around Rosedale Farms &
Vineyards in Simsbury, Conn., I felt like Peter Rabbit with a secret fruit addic- tion. The strawberries, primed for pick- ing, dared me to step off the dirt path and pluck one, two, maybe three. As I strategized my attack, a truck drove up and stopped, a poof of dust atomizing the air.
Quick, hide: It’s Farmer McGregor. No, wait, freeze: That man is smiling warmly and holding a pile of berries in the palm of his hand. For me to eat. Gee, thanks, Farmer Epstein. Rosedale’s co-owner, first name Mar- shall, encourages visitors to explore his family’s 110 acres and savor their bounty. In addition to the sweet-as-candy straw- berries, there’s wine made from grapes grown on his property; peaches; squash; lettuce; sweet corn, whose stalks form the walls of a fall maze; and two acres of flowers overseen by the family matriarch. This year Rosedale turns 90, and because of the Simsbury Land Trust, we can expect 90 years more. By placing more than 830 acres of
SPOTS 2010
TOP ★ JIM CHURCH/ SIMSBURY HISTORICAL SOCIETY A symbol of Simsbury: The 165-foot-tall Heublein Tower, built for liquor and condiment magnate Gilbert Heublein in 1914.
local land under easement, the nonprof- it group guarantees that the fields of to- day will not become the strip malls of to- morrow. “We want to preserve the character and legacy of Simsbury,” said farm man- ager Jon Kozlowski, Epstein’s son-in- law. “We are concerned about living in a town that is not fully developed, in an area abundant with history going back to Colonial times.” The protective shield doesn’t stop at the farmland borders. Founded in 1670 by English settlers, the town 12 miles northwest of Hartford covers just 34 square miles but packs in four historic districts plus assorted structures listed on the National Register of Historic Places: the 19th-century Old Drake Hill Bridge, abloom with flower boxes and hanging baskets, for example, and the Simsbury 1820 House, birthplace of Gif- ford Pinchot, the first chief of the U.S. Forest Service and, appropriately enough, a committed conservationist. (It’s now a B&B.) “We want to show people that history is alive,” said Sarah Nielsen, executive director of the Simsbury Main Street Partnership, who nominated the town for the National Trust for Historic Pres- ervation’s Distinctive Destinations des- ignation. “It’s not just old buildings and museum collections.” On the main drag of Hopmeadow
Street, the Phelps Tavern Museum pro- vides a visual lesson about Simsbury as told through 14 period and modern structures, including the tavern built for Capt. Elisha Phelps in 1771. “Hops were grown in Connecticut,” said guide Barbara Strong as we stood in the front room of the dual-purpose wa- tering hole/travelers’ lodge, the smoky scent of the cooking fireplace still linger-
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ing in the air. “Beer was the drink of choice in the 1700s. No one drank water back then. It was considered unhealthy.” The tavern is one of two buildings original to the site; the others, such as the one-room red schoolhouse and the Victorian probate court, were moved from elsewhere in the Simsbury area. However, their “outsider” status does not diminish their impact. Ensign-Bickford was, and still is, one of the biggest employers in town. Its widget: fuses. Things that make other things go boom. The company donated to the museum a 1966 building filled with samples of its equipment, includ- ing fuses whose names — Hemp, Special XX, Gutta Percha — seem better suited to marijuana strains than explosive wicks. “This is the industrial history of Sims-
bury,” said a retiree from nearby Bristol, who in his free time is trying to visit ev- ery historical society in the state. “It is as much a part of the town as the mining settlement and the transcontinental railroad.” For more historical acknowledg- ments, I stopped for a bite at Abigail’s Grille and Wine Bar, housed in aRevolu- tionary War-era public house, Petti-
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bone’s Tavern. Though it might seem odd, in the spirit of Simsbury I recom- mend ordering a Smirnoff vodka tonic and, when your entree arrives, giving your dish a generous splash of A.1. Steak Sauce. Then before tucking into your meal, take a moment to thank Gilbert Heublein, the German native who made a fortune selling alcoholic beverages and condiments for America’s tables. He and his family summered in a five-story tow- er atop Talcott Mountain, a few miles from town. The site, noticeable from a number of vantage points, is as attached to place as India’s Taj Mahal and Seat- tle’s Space Needle. “The tower is definitely a symbol of Simsbury,” said Alex Rickert, a seasonal park interpreter. “It sticks up out of no- where in the Farmington River Valley.” During the warmer months, staff members lead tours of the house, start- ing at the front door and ending closer to the clouds. According to Rickert, how- ever, the park might extend the tour to include the 11
⁄4 -mile hike up the moun-
tain. As one who made up her own facts during the trek, I can say in hindsight: I wish I’d had a guide when the valley erupted with explosions. I passed them off as the fuse company detonating new products but was later corrected by a lo- cal man standing at a scenic overlook. “We have two shooting ranges,” he said. “One is a gun club, the other is the police department’s.” Glad I wasn’t a moving target, or on the lam. Though I arrived a few days before the
tower’s official opening, Rickert agreed to stop gardening to show me around. We ascended floor by floor, pausing in our climb to inspect a small museum on the second floor showcasing the prod- ucts that made Heublein rich and be- loved at cocktail parties and barbecues.
As we progressed to the top, Rickert ex- plained that in 1943, the family sold the residence to the Hartford Times (now Courant), which used it as a gathering place for newsworthy individuals (Ron- ald Reagan, Frank Lloyd Wright) and events (the Republican Party askedGen. Dwight Eisenhower to run for president here). The stairs ran out in the former ball- room, now an enclosed observation deck unadorned except for the 360-degree views of the surrounding landscape. To the north lay western Massachusetts; to the east, Hartford and its compact sky- line. Looking west, I revisited the farms and golf courses that had padded my hike up. To the south, the Sleeping Giant (a.k.a. Mount Carmel) rested on his side, ignoring the hikers on his left hip. Every hearty trek deserves a treat, and mine sat in a freezer on a farm that has been active since 1768. Protected by the Simsbury Land Trust, Tulmeadow Farm features cut flowers and homemade ice cream in its front yard and crops in its back fields. The conservation group cre- ated a short walking path lined with placards describing the terrain and reas- suring visitors worried about the fate of the Metacomet Ridge, the 20-million- year-old geologic line that runs from Massachusetts to Long Island Sound. In 1998, 17 area towns signed an agreement pledging to preserve the vista and habi- tat and protect the ridge from devel- opment. So if you’re looking to set up a mountaintop Starbucks, go find another mound. Before heading back for my cone, I considered taking a photo but realized it wasn’t necessary: I could return to Sims- bury in any number of years and find the scene unchanged.
sachsa@washpost.com IF YOU GO
Want to take a spur-of-the-moment trip to Simsbury, Conn.? Here’s what you need to know for the weekend of June 18-20:
GETTING THERE Southwest offers nonstop service from BWI Marshall to Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, Conn., with fares from $255 round trip. Simsbury is about 15 miles west of the airport.
WHERE TO STAY Simsbury 1820 House 731 Hopmeadow St. 800-879-1820
www.simsbury1820house.com B&B in the birthplace of Gifford Pinchot, first head of the U.S. Forest Service. Nightly rates from $169. Simsbury Inn 397 Hopmeadow St. 800-634-2719
www.simsburyinn.com This member of the Classic Hotels of Connecticut comes fully loaded (indoor pool, art gallery, airport shuttle, etc.). From $249.
WHERE TO EAT Abigail’s Grille and Wine Bar 4 Hartford Rd. 860-264-1580
www.abigailsgrill.com In the former Pettibone Tavern, built in 1780. Supposedly haunted by a ghost named Lucy. Lunch entrees $8-$22. Plan B Burger Bar 4 Railroad St. 860-658-4477
www.planbburger.com Inside a converted 19th-century railroad depot. Burgers under $14.
WHAT TO DO Phelps Tavern Museum 800 Hopmeadow St. 860-658- 2500
www.simsburyhistory.org Fourteen structures showcasing town history. Adults $6. Rosedale Farms & Vineyards 25 E. Weatogue St. 860-651-3926
www.rosedale1920.com See — and taste — what’s growing at the 90-year-old farm. Tulmeadow Farm Store 255 Farms Village Rd., West Simsbury 860-658-1430
www.tulmeadowfarmstore.com Hike through the fields, then treat yourself to homemade ice cream. Talcott Mountain State Park/ Heublein Tower Off Route 185 860-677-0662 Hike 11
miles to the 165-foot-tall tower built in 1914. Seasonal tours are free.
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INFORMATION
www.town.simsbury.ct.us
— A.S.
All flight and lodging information valid as of press time Thursday.
More Travel this week FRIDAY
Escapes ponders a plethora of activities in Jim Thorpe, Pa., in Weekend.
NEXT SUNDAY The Impulsive Traveler searches for the distinctive in Huntsville, Ala., in Travel.
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