Wednesday, June 27, 2012 - Walking Tour Around the New Haven Green (Common)

I got ready early for a full day of exploring the area around the 16-acre New Haven Green (1638) in the downtown district.

The self walking tour began at the marble Bennett Fountain (1907) which is located on the southeast corner of the green at the corner of Church and Chapel Streets.  The tour continued with stops at the New Haven City Sign with key milestones in the city's history, The Flagpole War Memorial/Fountain located in the center of the lower Green, the United States Post Office and Courthouse built using Tennessee marble, the three-sided Amistad Memorial (each side depicts a different phase of the Amistad incident; the memorial stands on the site of the jail that held the Amistad captives during their time in New Haven.), the sandstone and limestone New Haven City Hall (1861), the New Haven County Courthouse - The Old Courthouse (1914), the FREE Public Library (two hand painted murals above the east and west walls of the Main Hall illustrate scenes from New Haven's past), the Graduate Club (began in 1892 as a social club for Yale Alumni), United Church (built between 1812 and 1815), Center Church (1814) with a crypt beneath the church containing the remains of approximately 137 people), and ends at Trinity Church (1816).

The Green was used as the main burial grounds for the residents of New Haven during its first 150 years, but by 1821 the practice was abolished and many of the headstones were moved to the Grove Street Cemetery.   However, the remains of the dead were not moved, and thus still remain below the soil of the Green. It is estimated that between 5,000 and 10,000 people remain buried there. A small portion of the burial ground is now preserved in the Center Church Crypt.

The edges of the Green were once covered with a canopy of elms, planted originally by James Hillhouse however most died of dutch elm disease.  In the 1980s, disease-resistant elms were planted in an attempt to memorialize the legacy of the trees that gave New Haven the nickname "Elm City".

I had lunch at Starbucks at noon of Protein Bistro Box, Izzy Clementina drink and shortbread cookies.  I took a tour of Yale at 2:00pm.  A Yale College student provided a glimpse into the history and architecture of the University. The walking tour started at the Yale Visitor Center where we watched a video about campus life.  During the walking tour we heard about Yale's rich 300-year history and aspects of student life at several of Yale's twelve residential colleges. The tour also included the Gothic Sterling Memorial Library, Yale's largest, and the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library.  The walking tour covered the central campus area, and lasted about 1 hour 20 minutes.   


I went back to the Omni Hotel about 5:00pm.  Christopher and I ate dinner at Kelly's Restaurant and Bar.  He attended the AUSS Convention while I rested, watched some television and read "Litigation" by John Grisham.