The Dead and the Undead

In Hartford, visit the Ancient Burying Ground on the corner of Gold and Main streets. The final resting place of Revolutionary War soldiers and 17th-century settlers once contained 6,000 graves; 435 markers remain. The gravesite of Thomas Hooker, Hartford’s founder, is here.

The magnificent Victorian-era burial ground, Cedar Hill Cemetery in Hartford, is home to stunning monuments; among its denizens are Samuel Colt, Katharine Hepburn, J.P. Morgan and Wallace Stevens.

It’s off to the southeast for an overnight stay in a haunted inn. The owner, l has written a book called the Ghosts of Captain Grant's Inn and is not your typical haunted house story. This is true story of the miracles that the owner continues to experience from the spirits who are connected to this enchanted place. From the beginning, visitors to the inn report unexplained occurrences and spirit sightings. When a ghost hunter uses dowsing rods to communicate with the spirits, a whole new era of discovery begins, with the ownere and guests continuing to learn the fascinating stories of the twelve spirits who call the inn home.

After you rest in peace, head to Lebanon, where the Revolutionary spirit lives. Visit the Governor Jonathan Trumbull House, circa 1740, the former home of Connecticut’s Revolutionary War governor; and the Jonathan Trumbull Jr. House, circa, 1769, home of Connecticut’s governor between 1797 and 1809.

Don't head home without a stop at Grove Street Cemetery in New Haven. On the National Register of Historic Places, this is another parklike burial ground, with notable statuary on nearly 18 acres. Among those interred here are Eli Whitney, Noah Webster, Roger Sherman and Walter Camp. The inscription over the main gate reads: “The Dead Shall Be Raised.” Fine, as long as it doesn’t happen while you’re visiting.