Community Corner

Hidden Gems Of Hartford And Tolland Counties

The latest Hidden Gem is the area's newest historic monument.

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The Irish workers monument at Windsor Locks Canal State Park. Across the canal under the railroad tracks are where many workers and their families were laid to rest in a forgotten burial ground.
The Irish workers monument at Windsor Locks Canal State Park. Across the canal under the railroad tracks are where many workers and their families were laid to rest in a forgotten burial ground. (Chris Dehnel/Patch )

WINDSOR LOCKS, CT — The latest trek to a Hidden Gem takes us to one of the most unique historic markers in the area — a memorial placed this week to the 400-plus Irish immigrants who labored to build the Windsor Locks Canal in the early 1800s.

The monument is easily accessible from state Route 140 at what is the southern entrance to the Windsor Locks Canal State Park.

The idea to honor the canal workers was spearheaded by former Windsor Locks selectman Chris Kervick, who spent several years researching the workers.

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The monument's inscription tells us that the Irish workers came to the area between 1827 and 1829 to build the canal near where the memorial stands. The workers lived in a hastily put together shanty town and worked in harsh conditions from dawn until dusk, according to the inscription.

The premise behind the canal was to provide a safe passage adjacent to the Connecticut River rapids.

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It is believed that the remains of many of the laborers and their families are located in a forgotten burial ground under what is now railroad tracks about 100 yards north of the monument, across the water.

To erect the monument, town officials joined forces with the Ancient Order of Hibernians, Hartford District No. 2, which collected more than $6,000 for the cause.

The Irish workers monument at Windsor Locks Canal State Park. (Chris Dehnel/Patch)

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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 Hartford and Tolland counties. Do you have a favorite "hidden gem" in the area that you wish to see featured in this column? Email your ideas to tim.jensen@patch.com.Other Gems in this series:

2022

2021 and earlier:

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