Nathan Hale Is My Cousin

This week I will visit the Nathan Hale Cemetery in Coventry, Connecticut. Nathan Hale (June 6, 1755 – September 22, 1776) is my cousin.

My name is Peter Sanford Kahrmann. It is a name I am proud of. My name for the first five weeks of my life was, Paul Clark. It is also a name I am proud of. I was adopted at five weeks of age. In  1987, I reunited with my birth-mother. Her name at when she…

At the Coventry Farmer's Market, I was impressed by a local vendor selling homemade preserves. Norm's Best is owned and operated by Norm and his wife. Norm makes and jars all the preserves, ranging from Apricot Jam, to Hot Pepper Jelly, and even Pickled Mushrooms. Norm's wife runs the stand, handing out samples of the jams and jellies to eager patrons. I stopped by the booth at the farmer's marked and tried tons of delicious jellies, including Pineapple and Peach, and my roommates tried some of the spicier jellies, including Habanero and Jalapeño. We all loved the flavors and quality, but we loved how sweet Norm's wife was. I bought the pickled mushrooms, which are great in stir fry, and my roommate picked up an Apricot Jelly for toast. 

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Winter farmer's markets are hard to come by, so I was pumped to find the Coventry market, at the Coventry High School on Sundays from 11-2. With plenty of fresh local produce, cheese, baked goods, preserves, and tea; as well as handmade jewelry and pottery, the market is a breath of fresh air in the dead of winter. There were also local handmade soaps and wildflower honey and maple syrup. Don't miss the Coventry Winter Farmer's Market before it closes in March. 

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I recently went to Bidwell Tavern, (1260 Main St​, Coventry) and was thoroughly unimpressed. People always rave about the food and atmosphere and I could see the rustic charm but the food was sad and disappointing. We got the stuffed mushrooms as an appetizer, which were okay, but not impressive. I tried the French Onion soup which was very good, and a pulled pork BBQ sandwich. The sandwich was very dry and boring, the fries were good, but not good enough to redeem the sandwich. My roommates both got salads, and they were both very disappointed. The grilled chicken was burnt and dry and we all left very disappointed. Unfortunately we likely won't be returning to Bidwell Tavern, despite the rustic charm. 

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Nathan is a popular name for heroes from Connecticut, it turns out. Earlier in the same week CT A to Z had taken the whole family to Natchaug State Park, home of the Nathan Lyon homestead. General Lyon, as he was more properly known, was a key figure in Union Military Moves during the Civil War, and died trying to save Missouri for the Union. This time we were headed to Nathan Hale State Forest, home to Connecticut’s Official State Hero.

This Nathan predates the General one, and his memorable act came during the Revolutionary War. Hale was a very young man, yet to see action in combat. He volunteered to go behind enemy lines in New York City, where British Fighters were attempting to put down a “revolt.” This Revolt was no other than the Declaration of Independence, and the British were on a losing streak. They captured young Nathan, and hung him as a rebel spy. Before he died, he uttered the words that made him immortal: “I only regret that I have but one life to give for my country.”

Hale grew up at the Homestead which forms the departure point of exploration for the State Forest, before heading to Yale and becoming a school teacher. In season, the homestead serves as a museum and memorial to his life, but in winter it’s all locked up and inaccessible. It looks like there’s a corn maze here in the autumn too, so it’s probably a pretty fun day out for the little people (and little at heart!) in your party.

The property was originally purchased and restored by State Park hero George Dudley Seymour in the mid 20th century. Seymour wanted to restore the land to the cleared farmland surrounding the house that would have been present when Hale lived there, but the forest had other ideas, and it was allowed to regrow. Since then the wood has been used to produce Christmas trees and timber, most noticeably for the picnic tables that populate most of the State Parks.

The forest is not managed heavily by the State with regards to leisure activities, and it’s rather difficult to find much information about the trails there. None of them are blazed, in keeping with the Land Management Policy for the area, which is all about wildlife conservation and scientific principles of forestry. Despite the fact that single track is appearing all over the forest mountain biking is not permitted in the forest. In fact, the constant appearance of new single track over woods such as these is starting to drive me a little mad. There’s tons of trails though, and as long as you have a semi decent sense of direction you’ll manage to figure out a decent loop. We headed south west out of the car park, wobbled around a bit till we popped out on Bear Swamp Road, then headed pretty much directly north again to arrive back at the Homestead.

There’s nothing spectacular to be seen in the bits of the forest we arrived at. Wide open deciduous forest covers most of the ground, with a few stone foundations and many stone walls. There’s a few endangered species in the park, mostly snakes and hawks, but on our visit we saw no living creatures, although the traces of them were everywhere.

There’s a couple of swamps, including a rare hardwood swamp, and unfortunately a lot of invasive species of plant. It’s a very calm place, but not hugely notable in terms of State Park excitement.

Week 1: First Sunrise of 2012 by Sean.Nicholl on Flickr.