Connecticut: Historic Riverfront Town of Essex

Bryan and I were getting a bit restless in our hotel room, so we hopped in the car and spent the afternoon in Essex, CT.

Essex is one of the few American towns to ever be attacked by a foreign power.

Twenty eight vessels were destroyed by the British in 1814 and this attack is what one historian refers to as "The Pearl Harbor" of the War of 1812.

Once on shore, the British marched to the Bushnell Tavern, now The Griswold Inn (see below), and stole $100,000 or upwards worth of rum.

Rum???

The British sure did have their priorities straight because they didn't harm the townspeople or burn down their homes.
They stole their rum, HA! Town historyThe amount of stripped and weathered layers of paint on this door were mezmerizing

Opening its doors for business in 1776, nestled on the banks of the Connecticut River, The Griswold Inn is one of the oldest continuously operating inn's in the country.

The Griswold House, part of the inn, on Main St. is where we ate lunch

Old artifacts and fireplace in dining room
We collect Christmas ornaments everywhere we go... can you imagine how many we have?
I thought this Christmas store, which is actually an old barn, was so cute!
The shopkeeper kindly told us the history of his town, so we bought an ornament made from a local Essex woman from him.
Winter Love.
His neck was cold so he stole my scarf!
The river docks at the edge of town

We're having so much fun in Connecticut and feel like we're on a romantic and leisurely vacation, but in actuality we're getting paid to be here.

Yep, we sure do love our job!