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New Box Lebanon CT New London County

1 messages in this thread | Started on 2002-05-13

New Box Lebanon CT New London County

From: Chuck Straub (chuckstraub@earthlink.net) | Date: 2002-05-13 11:40:23 UTC-04:00

Leonards Bridge Station

Placed: 5-11-02

Placed By: Chuck and Molly

Location: Lebanon Connecticut, New London County

Rated: Moderate

At the intersection of Routes 66 and 85 in Hebron, take route 85 south headed for Colchester. Proceed until you come to Route 207 and turn left onto 207. Proceed down route 207 passing Lake Williams on your left and Grand Lake Spa on the right. You will soon come to Leonards bridge road on your left. Take this left turn and travel 1.8 miles, passing one stop sign to a place for a school bus turn around and the old rail road line. It is a difficult place to park. Park your car and cross the street going down the hill to the old rail bed. This is where the old wooden bridge once stood, at a time when Leonards Bridge had its own rail road station along the air line. It is frequently very muddy and wet here for a short distance. Proceed down the path until you come to another trail which goes off to your right. Take this trail it seems to be a semi circle which the rail road built and it comes back onto the main track. You will only travel down it to a point where you can see where a stream goes under it and comes out on the left side of the trail. Go down the steep hill, or find an easier way to this point. View the double small tunnels under the trail you were on. Follow the stream as best you can along the many trails made by dirt bikes until you find where the stream goes under the main rail line. Here you will find a beautiful tunnel which is tall enough to walk through. Stand on top of the huge rock capping the tunnel. Stand directly over the top of the beginning of the tunnel. Take a reading of 50 degrees. Follow that to three trees which grow from one. From those three trees go directly north to a rock. On the northeast side of the rock surrounded by smaller rocks, you must lift up the two flat rocks and find the Leonards Bridge Letterbox.

To make your trip more interesting: when you enter Leonards Bridge Road from Route 207 stop at almost 1.6 miles at 78 Leonards Bridge Road, just a bit short of your parking spot. See the old tombstone by the side of the road. This is not a cemetery but a single tombstone. It was not just placed there but is an actual grave site. At some point a stone wall was built which went right through the grave site and the tomb stone became a part of the wall. It remained that way for many years until the recent owner took down part of the wall and cleaned up around the stone. The stone very clearly reads "Sacred to the memory of Mr. Constant Woodworth who after a virtuous & exemplary life died with the Small-Pox April the 13th 1777 in the 49th year of his age."

There is also a stone marker in the yard behind the lilac trees right next to the school bus turn around which tells of the history of the owners of that property.