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Berlin, Connecticut: Tinware Peddlers and the Oldest Civil War Monument

Berlin, Connecticut

Pictures from Berlin

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Kensington Soldiers Monument Ragged Mountain Memorial Preserve Berlin-Peck Memorial Library

European settlement traces to 1659, when Sergeant Richard Beckley bought 300 acres from Chief Tarramuggus in what was then the Great Swamp Society; the General Assembly incorporated the town as Berlin in 1785, and New Britain split off from it in 1850. Around 1740, Irish immigrant brothers Edward and William Pattison set up the first tinware business in the American colonies here, launching the door-to-door "Yankee Peddler" trade still pictured on the town seal. Berlin native Emma Hart Willard, a pioneer of women's higher education, was born in 1787 and opened the Troy Female Seminary in 1821. On March 9, 1799, Simeon North of Berlin received the U.S. government's first pistol contract; he went on to pioneer interchangeable-parts manufacturing. The geographic center of Connecticut lies within Berlin, which today comprises Berlin Center, Kensington and East Berlin.

  1. The country's oldest permanent Civil War monument, dedicated 1863.

  2. Traprock cliffs and the Metacomet Trail on the Berlin-Southington line.

  3. An 18-hole municipal course built in 1970.

  4. A working CTrail Hartford Line and Amtrak stop with a rebuilt 2018 depot.

  5. A family pizzeria on Main Street since 1974.

  6. A plant-based kitchen on Farmington Avenue.

  7. A neighborhood Japanese and Asian restaurant.

  8. An independent pizzeria open daily.

  9. A renovated hotel on the Berlin Turnpike.

The oldest Civil War monument in the country

The Kensington Soldiers Monument, dedicated July 28, 1863 — less than a month after Gettysburg — is recognized as the country's oldest permanent Civil War monument. It was designed by Kensington resident Nelson Augustus Moore, a Hudson River School-associated landscape artist, from brown Portland sandstone moved by a sledge drawn by 14 oxen to a Bacon quarry in East Berlin for finishing, and it still stands on the grounds of the Kensington Congregational Church. Ragged Mountain, whose traprock cliffs straddle Berlin and Southington, is one of Connecticut's premier rock-climbing destinations, with the 51-mile Metacomet Trail running its ridge; the main trailhead is on West Lane off Route 71A in Berlin, about 2.75 miles south of downtown New Britain.

Getting there

Berlin sits at the crossroads of central Connecticut: Route 9 has a grade-separated interchange with the Berlin Turnpike (US 5/Route 15), a 12.17-mile commercial arterial running from Meriden to the Wethersfield-Hartford line; Route 372 also connects to the Turnpike, and Interstate 91 exit 20 is the nearest access for the Lamentation Mountain side of town; Ragged Mountain's trailhead is reached separately via Route 71A. Unusually for a town this size, Berlin has its own real rail stop: Berlin station, 51 Depot Road, is one of nine CTrail Hartford Line stations between New Haven Union Station and Springfield Union Station, also served by Amtrak Northeast Regional and Valley Flyer trains, with 235 free parking spaces. Metro-North's New Haven Line and Shore Line East do not serve Berlin; connections to those systems are made at New Haven Union Station.

Frequently asked questions

How do I get to Berlin?
By car via Route 9, Interstate 91, or the Berlin Turnpike (US 5/Route 15) — or by train: Berlin station, 51 Depot Road, is a stop on the CTrail Hartford Line, also served by Amtrak Northeast Regional and Valley Flyer trains.
Is there a train to Berlin?
Yes. Berlin station is one of nine Hartford Line stations between New Haven Union Station and Springfield Union Station, with 235 free parking spaces, a ticket vending machine and bike racks. Metro-North and Shore Line East do not reach Berlin; connect at New Haven Union Station.
What is the Kensington Soldiers Monument?
A brown sandstone Civil War monument dedicated July 28, 1863, recognized as the country's oldest permanent Civil War monument. It stands on the grounds of the Kensington Congregational Church.
Is there hiking in Berlin?
Yes — Ragged Mountain Memorial Preserve, straddling Berlin and Southington, has traprock cliffs and the blue-blazed Metacomet Trail; the main trailhead is on West Lane off Route 71A in Berlin.
Is there a hotel in Berlin?
Yes — Days Inn by Wyndham Berlin Meriden on the Berlin Turnpike is a verified operating property. Call ahead to confirm rates and availability.

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