Liberty Green Historic District is a local historic district in the town of

Clinton, Connecticut Clinton is a town in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States. The population of the town was 13,185 at the 2020 census. The town center along the shore line was listed as a census-designated place (CDP) by the U.S. Census Bureau in the 2020 ...

, and Liberty Green is a triangular town green within it. The district was created in 1979 following a lengthy study, report and enabling ordinance

Description

The Liberty Green Historic District consists of six 18th-century houses and stone walls surrounding a triangular common. The six contiguous properties included within the district are defined on the National Register of Historic Places and consist of four

Colonial Colonial or The Colonial may refer to: * Colonial, of, relating to, or characteristic of a colony or colony (biology) Architecture * American colonial architecture * French Colonial * Spanish Colonial architecture Automobiles * Colonial (1920 au ...

structures, one

Federal Federal or foederal (archaic) may refer to: Politics General *Federal monarchy, a federation of monarchies *Federation, or ''Federal state'' (federal system), a type of government characterized by both a central (federal) government and states or ...

Greek Revival The Greek Revival was an architectural movement which began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe and the United States and Canada, but a ...

, and one undefined style structure. The corner property of Liberty Street and East Main Street is an established

bed and breakfast Bed and breakfast (typically shortened to B&B or BnB) is a small lodging establishment that offers overnight accommodation and breakfast. Bed and breakfasts are often private family homes and typically have between four and eleven rooms, wit ...

. The district is located within the larger,

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

-listed Clinton Village Historic District.

History

A vestige of 17th-century

common land Common land is land owned by a person or collectively by a number of persons, over which other persons have certain common rights, such as to allow their livestock to graze upon it, to collect wood, or to cut turf for fuel. A person who has a ...

, Liberty Green is a park-like triangle between Liberty Street and East Main Street, encompassing the village green. and The common town land was part of a larger open space for

militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

war drills, and was also the site of one of Clinton's earliest schoolhouses. The Liberty Green Historic District was chosen as the site for the town's

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

monument (a granite soldier atop a tall pedestal), and a small

cannon A cannon is a large- caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder ...

from the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States, United States of America and its Indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom ...

. Beginning in 1846, a group of citizens banded together to plant shade trees and Liberty Green came to assume its present park-like appearance and function. In addition to providing a peaceful public open space, it served a symbolic function, recalling the town's patriotic past and providing the site for memorials to the town's soldiers. Liberty Green Historic District Time capsule marker stone

Liberty Green Historic District Time capsule marker stone

On 5 December 1976, a school group buried a

time capsule A time capsule is a historic cache of goods or information, usually intended as a deliberate method of communication with future people, and to help future archaeologists, anthropologists, or historians. The preservation of holy relics dates ...

called the Legacy I on Liberty Green. The schoolchildren indicated that the capsule should be opened on 4 July 2976. In 2009, the Clinton Town Tree Warden ordered a public tree removal in order to clear half-dozen overgrown trees and prune many large and dangerous branches from the Liberty Green trees. The tree removal provides additional open space and sunlight. In 2010, the Liberty Green retail complex, located across the street from the historic district, was set to be completed with the construction of a two-story building affording of retail space and three second-story apartments. This building joins a hardware store,

Japanese restaurant Japanese cuisine encompasses the regional and traditional foods of Japan, which have developed through centuries of political, economic, and social changes. The traditional cuisine of Japan (Japanese: ) is based on rice with miso soup and othe ...

, and community health center in the same complex. Today Liberty Green continues to serve as an important public gathering space for Clinton's townspeople. It is a location for small church festivals and other events, as well as the ceremonial destination of the annual

Memorial Day Memorial Day (originally known as Decoration Day) is a federal holiday in the United States for mourning the U.S. military personnel who have fought and died while serving in the United States armed forces. It is observed on the last Monda ...

Parade.

References

{{Coord, 41.2771, -72.5173, display=title Clinton, Connecticut Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Connecticut Colonial architecture in Connecticut Federal architecture in Connecticut Greek Revival architecture in Connecticut New England town greens National Register of Historic Places in Middlesex County, Connecticut