Located on the waterfront of the scenic and historic town of Essex, the Connecticut River Museum is a must-visit for anyone interested in exploring the heritage of New England’s longest river. The Connecticut River’s 410-mile course begins in northern New Hampshire and flows to the Long Island Sound. The museum is open all year and features a variety of interesting programs, lectures, and exhibits that showcase the incredible diversity of this remarkable river, past and present.

 One of my favorite exhibits is the annual Holiday Train Show, presented by local artist Steve Cryan. This locomotive extravaganza is constructed on a fully functional 26-foot-long by 8-foot-wide model train platform, and features thousands of model vehicles, people, and buildings in addition to 12 trains running at all times. This master model builder and maritime artist has created, in intricate detail, Connecticut towns and villages circa 1930-1940, detailed with shops, restaurants, boats, and wrecks.

The train show engineers: Steve Cryan on the right, and Tim Ryan, his  friend and back-up engineer on the left.

Tim is no rookie to railroads and steam locomotives. For years he was an engineer working for the Valley Railroad Company piloting locomotives like the one shown below. This big-steamer, known as the Essex Steam Train, carries passengers on scenic rides along the Connecticut River.

The photo below is an American Flyer/Lionel Train layout designed for young visitors to get hands-on railroading experience.

The Grand Street and Three Rivers Railroad

 This Rod Stewart poster was a pleasant surprise for me. This magnificent model railroad and cityscape was created by Rod Stewart over a period of 12 years.  When he is on tour he takes seven large cases of model kits and tools with him, and rents an extra hotel room to set up a model train workshop.

Stewart is not the only celebrity to love model trains. Frank Sinatra was an avid railroad enthusiast and actor-singer Mandy Patinkin has also built a large train layout in his barn. Singer Neil Young has been part owner of model train maker Lionel LLC for years.

The 26-foot-long, 8-foot-wide main layout has thousands of model buildings, vehicles, and people. There are at least 12 trains that are in constant motion on this layout. The HO-scale trains wind their way through 1930 villages and towns containing intricately detailed shops, restaurants, and boats. I also spotted a bar and a brothel in the layout. All visitors are invited to complete the “I SPY” scavenger hunt for various objects hidden within the settings. A visit to the museum during the train show is a perfect outing for all model train fans.

Every visit to the Connecticut River Museum reveals exhibits overlooked on the previous one. Below are two that I discovered when leaving the Holiday Train Show.

On the wall, between the ivory tusks, is a photo of the Comstock, Cheney & Company ivory processing plant, located in Ivoryton, one of three villages in Essex. At one time this plant and the Julius Pratt & Co. plant, located in the lower river town of Deep River, processed about 90% of the ivory imported into the United States.

Below is a period photo of the original Colt East Armory, which was built in 1855. This building was almost completely destroyed by a disastrous fire in 1864.

Below is a recent photo of the building capped with a distinctive onion-shaped sheet metal dome that resembles the one that topped the 1855 armory. On December 12, 2014 final congressional approval came for the creation of  Coltsville Natural Historical Park on this site. The park will be dedicated to the accomplishments of Samuel Colt and the role this factory played in the Industrial Revolution.

The photo below shows what I believe is a Colt Army Model 1860 single-action .44 cal revolver that fired a paper-wrapped round ball. This gun was used by both sides during the Civil War and during the American Indian Wars. However, at first glance it looked very much like Navy Single Action 1850 .38 revolver. The two guns are almost identical, but after some research I found this revolver is the Army Revolver. This case also contained several ivory pieces. In the right rear is an ivory billiard ball along with several ivory chess pieces.

Below is photo from the Colt web site. The Navy 1850 model is on top, the Army 1860 is on the bottom.

Many of the exhibits on the display at the museum show the banks of the Lower Connecticut River, a 36-mile section between Middletown and Long Island sound. The Cold Building is in Hartford, a short distance to the north.

If you are lucky enough to visit Connecticut, the Connecticut River Museum and the Town of Essex will be rewarding, educational, and entertaining places to spend a day or two.

Essex Steam Train and Riverboat Connection

Essex Station, home of the Essex Steam Train, is only a short distance from the River Museum. The Riverboat Connection is only one of the popular features offered. The photos below were taken this past summer.

The Connecticut River near the museum

The popular Goodspeed Opera House

Gillette Castle, built by William Gillette — aka Sherlock Holmes

The Connecticut River is one of the most remarkable ecosystems in New England. Not long ago, large sections of the river were collectively referred to as “the best landscaped sewer in the nation.” Fortunately, over the years it has come full circle to become a high-quality, clean and fully-functioning ecological system. It is the largest river system in New England. Its headwaters lie in northern New Hampshire near the Canadian border, from which it flows 410 miles to Long Island Sound. Its watershed spans five of the six New England states: New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut and small parts of Maine. During the past 50 years I have fished, hunted and hiked along this river from northern New Hampshire, where it crosses the Canadian border, through Massachusetts and into Connecticut, down to its mouth at the Long Island Sound. Lately, I have taken special interest in the amazing diversity of the Lower River, which begins 15 miles south of Hartford near the towns of Portland and Cromwell and then flows the final 36 miles to Long Island Sound. Within this section of the river are natural wonders that are unique to the entire watershed. Here you will find shallow coves and marshes that are separated from the mainstream by bars and levees. Upstream, the force of river flow prevents these estuary and tidal waters from developing. By definition, an estuary is an area where fresh and salt water mix. Tidal water is where the surface waters are fresh and devoid of salt water influence. The tidal relationship that this river has with the Atlantic Ocean is expressed in the name of our state. Connecticut is a French corruption of a native American word quinetucket, which means beside the long tidal river. The wetlands and waters in the estuarine complex of the Lower River contain a remarkable clustering of rare and endangered species which include geese, wood ducks, ospreys, Bald Eagles and loons. Mammals like muskrat, beaver, river otter, mink and whitetail deer are also thriving residents in this area. Migratory fish like the American shad, alewife and Atlantic salmon live and thrive here also.  Native Americans have used the living resources of the river for many years. For example,  bulrush and cattail from tidal wetlands have been woven into lodge coverings and mats. Tubers of water lily and many other plants provided important food items. The abundant wildlife was hunted for food, clothing and as a source for ornamental objects.

The Connecticut River and its tributaries represent the best of this state’s natural heritage. In recognition of its ecological value, the Connecticut River’s beautiful watershed was recognized as a national wildlife refuge in 1995. It is a treasured and popular destination for thousands of Connecticut residents and tourists who visit the river to kayak, hike, bird watch and fish. Three of Connecticut’s most popular attractions: the Essex Steam Train in Essex, Gillette Castle in East Haddam and the River Museum in Essex are close neighbors in the Lower River area. There is much to experience and photograph here all year. I plan to visit the Lower River several times over the next several months and share with you my adventures, along with plenty of photos.

During the months of February and March, groups of Bald Eagles fly down from the frozen north to the open water of the Lower River to feed in the ice-free open water. I decided to grab Ginny Lee (my camera) and see if I could get some raptor shots, and also visit the Connecticut River Museum. The museum is a must stop for first time visitors to the Lower Connecticut River. It is located on the river at the end of Main Street. Built in 1847, the building was originally a warehouse and general store. By the early 1960s, the building was beginning to fall into disrepair. With the support of former Connecticut Governor Ella Grasso, the building was restored and opened as the Connecticut River Museum in 1975.

A view of the river as it flows southeast to Long Island Sound

Below is a photo of an upstream portion of the Lower River. In the distance is the historic East Haddam Swing Bridge that spans the river near the Goodspeed Opera House.

Below are photos of four prominent and popular neighbors of the River Museum. On a recent adventure to the Lower River we boarded the Essex Steam Train at Essex Station. We disembarked from the train in the next town upriver at Deep River Landing, and boarded the Becky Thatcher Steamboat to continued upriver, past the Gillette Castle to the East Haddam Swing Bridge and the Goodspeed Opera House.

This year raptor enthusiasts and photographers are excited about the arrival of record numbers of Bald Eagles on the Lower River where open water remains, unlike the iced-over northern reaches. These majestic birds are fish-eaters, flying down from the ice-covered north to feed in open water. This year, the extreme ice on the Upper River and a rare die-off of striped bass at one of the river’s tributaries in Old Lime caused by extreme cold weather in January, lured more eagles than usual to this area. It is believed that shallow water conditions during low tides allowed water  temperatures to drop to unusual lows causing the die-off. This is a real plus for Bald Eagles, because they are carrion eaters. They will eat dead fish with the same gusto as live fish, and will switch to fresh-caught fish in the spring when they are feeding their young. Unfortunately for me and some other disappointed eagle enthusiasts, the extreme cold forced the cancellation of two EagleWatch tours sponsored by the River Museum. In desperation, on both of these occasions, I drove up to Eagle Landing State Park in Haddam hoping to get a few prime shots from there. No luck!

The folks at the museum informed me that professional wildlife photographer Dr. Stanley Kolber was giving a lecture at the museum on March 1st. I have recently become a fan of the doctor’s work, so I planned to attend. I was not disappointed. He discussed photography (especially bird photography) with such calm, sincere passion and enthusiasm that his obvious love of the art was inspiring. I have included a link to his website below.

www.stanleykolber.com

 The museum conducts several EagleWatch tours in February and March on a 65-foot, 50-passenger research vessel called the Enviro-Lab III, which belongs to Project Oceanology. This is an organization formed in 1972 by a group of public school administrators from southeastern Connecticut. The boat is a 56-foot confiscated lobster boat donated by the U.S. Customs Service in 1986. The last EagleWatch Tour will be on March 16. I will be there with Ginny Lee and will share with you any successful photos that I am fortunate enough to shoot. I asked Dr. Kolber if I could borrow his Nikon setup (shown below) for the shoot. He smiled and continued with the lecture. (Just kidding.)

The museum has made a substantial commitment to the Bald Eagle. Shown below are parts of the exhibit.

The first floor has an impressive exhibit depicting the burning of the fleet of a privateer warship moored in Essex in 1812. There are also two full-size replicas of the Turtle, the first American submarine, which was built in Essex in 1776 to be used against British ships during the American Revolution. The black model is a working unit that I was told has been tested in the Connecticut River.

The three-story museum’s main and third levels offer changing exhibits, while the second level is home to a history of shipping and commercial boating on the river, which includes maps and models of steamships. This floor also has exhibits of the various fish species in the river. Below are examples of the commercial navigation exhibit.

The 36-mile stretch of the lower Connecticut River consists of a group of small waterfront towns that, unlike similar communities in other areas, offer interesting and exciting adventures for visitors all year. After experiencing the wonders of the Lower River, remember, there are still another 374 miles of fun and excitement to the north.