The Plymouth Land Trust, Inc. is a local, non-profit organization formed to permanently protect land in Plymouth, Connecticut for its natural, recreational, scientific, scenic, historical, or agricultural value. The Land Trust originated in 1967 with the donation of 25 acres. They now have almost 125 acres, all through donations by individuals who wish to leave a legacy of permanently protected land. They depend on volunteers who want to make a difference and care about conserving land for future generations.
P.O. Box 76, Plymouth
plymouthlandtrust.org
The original blueberry crop was planted in 1974. Since then it has expanded and is now known as Litchfield Hills Blueberry Farm, a family owned and operated farm since 1998. Every summer hundreds of visitors come from across the Northeast and New England. They retreat to enjoy the scenic view while they pick from the many varieties of the 12,000 Highbush blueberry bushes nestled on a 30 acre hillside over looking the Litchfield Hills.
Litchfield Hills Blueberry Farm
23 Schrowback Road
Plymouth, CT
860-283-9571
Instagram: @litchberry
Pick-your-own peaches, apples, plums, pumpkins, and flowers August-October.
Tonn’s Orchard
258 Preston Road
Terryville CT
860-585-1372
A choose and cut Christmas tree farm. We provide saws, carts, and tree baling (wrapping). We grow Fraser fir, Balsam fir, Canaan fir, Concolor fir, blue spruce, and white pine. Availability varies each season.
Towill’s Christmas Tree Farm
370 Harwinton Avenue
Plymouth, CT
860-283-9436
Garlic, honey, raspberries, flowers and other specialties. Organic grower with retail sales at the residence. Sales year-round based on availability. Daytime hours when we are home. Feel free to call ahead.
Zelda’s
78 Preston Road
Terryville, CT
860-585-5978
A family owned and operated farm since 1998. They have over 12,000 Highbush blueberry bushes nestled on a 30 acre hillside where you can pick your own blueberries.
Litchfield Hills Blueberry Farm
23 Schrowback Rd, Plymouth
860-283-9571
Tonn’s Orchard is set on over ten acres of land. It is easy walking for any age. You can pick your own apples, peaches, plums, pumpkins, and flowers.
Tonn’s Orchard
258 Preston Rd, Terryville
860-585-1372
Books & Art on Main, a new bookstore located at 692 Main Street, Plymouth, CT, is pleased to announce its opening in this new year!
The store offers used and new books (fiction, nonfiction, art, crafts, gardening, cooking, home, history, religion, Bibles, children’s books), plus journals, framed art, art supplies, and giftware.
“A new year is the perfect time to discover a new passion or hobby,” says proprietor Robert Schwalb. “Some people aspire to a reading challenge, such as reading 100 books during the year. A 2016 Yale study, recently cited in the news source Axios.com, suggests that developing a reading habit may actually help lengthen life, especially for those over 50.”
“Journaling, too, can benefit folks in so many ways, from boosting your mood on gray winter days to furthering self-discovery. We have a variety of journals in the store.” (https://www.healthline.com/health/benefits-of-journaling#takeaway).
“Trying your hand at an art project can also help reduce stress and aid in self-expression. We have colored pencils, sketchbooks, paints, paper, brushes, most anything you might need to get creative,” says Schwalb. https://www.webmd.com/balance/health-benefits-of-hobbies
“And a new year is a fantastic time to start a new venture, such as a bookstore,” says Schwalb. “Books & Art on Main is located in a historic Colonial Revival building that once housed the Plymouth Library. We’re thrilled to be able to operate in this beautiful building, which was constructed in 1932, amazingly during the height of the Great Depression.
“The building is truly a gem, with a gorgeous Palladian window, intricately crafted woodwork, and a magnificent fireplace. The architect and contractor even carved their names on the fireplace overmantel.
“Thanks to folks from the Plymouth Historical Society and local history buffs, we keep learning more and more about the library’s history. For example, we learned that the original library—housed in a different building that was destroyed by fire—was founded in 1871 by Congregational clergyman Reverend Elias Brewster Hillard (1825–1895), apparently known, back in the day, as a ‘man of fire’ for his efforts to improve life in Plymouth and Litchfield County. Reverend Hillard was also the grandfather of Pulitzer Prize-, Tony Award-, and National Book Award-winning poet, dramatist, and Librarian of Congress Archibald MacLeish, who died in 1982. Reverend Hillard himself compiled an important book, The Last Men of the Revolution, a photographic album of the last living survivors of the American Revolution, which was published in Hartford in 1864, during the Civil War,” says Schwalb.
“We opened unofficially during the holiday season and have been warmly welcomed by members of the community, who are happy that their former library building has a new lease on life, and that its legacy of providing a home for books in Plymouth is continued.”
Schwalb and his wife Sue have worked in book publishing and art and design for many years and previously operated a bookstore in Bantam, CT.
Books & Art on Main is located at 692 Main Street, Plymouth, CT, in the Plymouth Historic District. Winter hours: Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from 12 noon to 5:00 p.m. Parking is available behind the shop and along the nearby Plymouth Green. Website: booksandartonmain.com. For more information, email [email protected], or call 347-813-0777.
Books & Art on Main
692 Main St., Plymouth, CT 06782
booksandartonmain.com
347-813-0777
This landmark is a quirky, off-the-beaten-path kind of place that traces the history of locks and lockmaking in America. The Museum houses an extensive lock collection that includes a cannon ball safe, 30 early era time locks, safe escutcheon plates, a large number of British safe locks, door locks, padlocks, handcuffs and keys, and more. Located in Terryville, the museum is directly across from the original site of the Eagle Lock Company, founded in 1854. Major collections are displayed by company or theme. The Eagle Lock Room contains over 1,000 locks and keys manufactured from 1854 to 1954. The Bank Lock Room comprises a selection of bank locks, vault locks, safe locks and time locks. The Corbin-Russwin Room contains a large display of ornate hardware. Several pieces are gold plated and enameled. One of the animated displays shows how a pin tumbler lock works. A large display of mounted door knobs and escutcheons made by Russwin and P & F Corbin during the Victorian era are extensively detailed in styles such as Roman, Greek, French and Italian Renaissance, Gothic, Flemish, and Elizabethan English. The Yale Room accommodates locks manufactured by the company from 1860 to 1950. One of the attractions here is the original patent model of the Mortise Cylinder Pin Tumbler Lock designed by Linus Yale Jr., in 1865. While this device is considered the greatest invention in the history of lockmaking, it is certainly not without historical precedence. Close by is a 4,000 year old Egyptian made pin tumbler lock. There is a large display of locks and hardware made by Sargent and Co. in New Haven, Ct. Several early exit devices and door closers are on display as well. The Antique Lock Room contains a large display of colonial locks and Ornate European locks dating back to the 1500’s.
Lock Museum of America
230 Main St (Route 6)
860-480-4408
This is where 38 soldiers from the Revolutionary War are buried. There are gravestones dating back to 1749.
Roughly nine hundred acres of Mattatuck State Forest are in Plymouth. The Forest is open to many kinds of outdoor recreation, including hiking and birdwatching. The Mattatuck Trail runs through the Forest. The Whitestone Cliffs, located off of Rt. 262, are a popular rock climbing area.
Mattatuck State Forest
860-567-5694
The Town Forest is a 53-acre woodland that was donated to the Town as open space for the Plymouth Heights subdivision. The Forest is located near the end of Watchtower Road, about 0.3 miles from the intersection with Mt. Tobe Road. The town owns a 50′ wide right-of-way between two houses for access. Look for a weatherbeaten sign at the trail entrance. A 1-mile hiking trail, marked with white blazes, leads from the entrance sign into the forest. The first half of the trail goes downhill, and the last half is uphill, but not excessively so. But you’ll work up a sweat, so be prepared. The Town Forest is not well known, but it is a beautiful place for a hike.
