Hidden Gems Of Connecticut

VERNON, CT — This week's Hidden Gem is a cemetery in North Central Connecticut that has not only endured the test of time, but a wayward vehicle driven by a suspected drunken driver.

Welcome to Southwest Cemetery in Vernon, also known as the Old Dobsonville Cemetery. Graves at the burial ground date back to a time before the country was a country. The cemetery is located at 173 Talcottville Road on the local map.That's state Route 83, but the cemetery is hidden enough for thousands of drivers to whizz by each day without noticing it.

The cemetery has several interesting and historic graves.

One is that of Leavitt Millard, a Revolutionary War veteran.

Though the cemetery is tucked away from Route 83, it is still susceptible to the hazards of a well-traveled road.

Take Nov. 30, 2020, for example. At about 7 p.m. that day, a black, 1999 Toyota 4Runner driven by a 42-year-old Manchester woman was heading north in the right lane on Route 83. It veered off the pavement, sprung up a grassy knoll, plowed over a protective stone and crashed into a 1750s grave between 240 and 255 feet into the cemetery, according to a Vernon Police Department crash report.

The names on the 1751 marker are David and Mary Forbes, who were originally from East Hartford. How they wound up with a Vernon cemetery as their final resting place is not clear, official have said, but police determined the driver arrived there because of prescription pill intoxication, according to the crash report.

Vernon officials had a restoration company repair the Forbes stone.

The cemetery is accessible to researchers and photographers alike.

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The Hidden Gems series features out-of-the-way mom and pop restaurants, small specialty stores you may have never heard of, little-known historical markers or beautiful nature spots that may be a bit off the beaten path, all located within Connecticut. Columns in this series in 2022 include:

Columns in this series from 2021 include:

• The Polish Plate
• The First Decorated Christmas Tree
• Bolton Notch Trail Bridge
• Civil War Drum
• Civil War Powder Keg
• Mile 4, Manchester Road Race
• The West Hartford Armory
• The Capitol's Nooks and Crannies
• Wickham Park Aviary
• 55 West Main, New Britain
• Fox Hopyard Golf Course
• The Dodd Center For Human Rights at UConn
• Manchester Ropes Challenge Course
• 4-H Education Center at Auerfarm
• Fuego Picante Food Truck
• The Amistad
• 9/11 memorials
• Club Champion Golf Fitters
• New England Civil War Museum and Research Center
• Avery's Soda
• Salt 2.0 Restaurant
• The Grave of Jonathan, The Original Husky
• Golden Gavel Auction House
• Vintage Radio and Communications Museum of Connecticut
• The Cogswell Temperance Fountain
• The Old State House
• BouNom Bakery
• Union Pond Park/Jay Howroyd Fitness Trail
• The Submarine Force Museum/USS Nautilus
• The UConn Dairy Bar
• Grove Hill Cemetery, Vernon
• Backwoods Smokin' BBQ
• The Ranch House
• Connecticut State Police Museum
• Berlin Historic District
• Connecticut Parachutists Skydiving Club
• Tail Winds Ice Cream Shop
• The MLK Mural
• The Hilltop Restaurant and Bar
• Fork & Fire
• Lena's Italian Kitchen
• The Benedict Arnold Trail
• Swank Pearce
• Vernon Depot Historic Park
• Farr's Sporting Goods
• Robs Drivin Diner

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