Chepachet, RI, a village of Gloceter, arrives first. Gloceter was founded in 1639 and judging by the number of antiques dealers, the residents of Chepacht never threw anything. The Brown & Hopkins Country Store is a relative delayer, dating from 1809. It was a general provisions store, but nowadays overflows with gift goods and memories. It maintains an important tradition of the Country store: a counter in Penny-Candy. Some things are not so old -fashioned: five pieces now cost a dollar.
The stream that bars crossing the middle of the village is the Chepach River, a tributary of Blackstone. Like almost all sections of running water in ancient New England, it formerly supplied a mill. The textile factory in the heart of the city was built in 1814. The Moulin machinery disappeared, but the old antiques and treasures of the stone mill have two floors of antiquities and collects which range from a wrecked victrola to a dining room of formica kitchen from the 1950s to holidays.
When we stopped, the “property” Debra McCarron did its best to correct the golden maple leaves fallen around the entrance to the courtyard of the mill. She granted that the foliage was magnificent, but the individual leaves had perplexed it. “People come from everywhere Ooh-id and aah-id,” she said. “I have been here for almost 20 years and I always try to understand how to sell their leaves.”
If you happen to pass on October 18, the Gloceter Scarecrow Festival Batra is in full swing on the main trail of Chepacht. In addition to the fanciful scarecrows along the street, you could meet pony walks, a craft market, live music and several food trucks. If you miss the festival, the scarecrows are dragging around a week or two.
In the direction of the west of Chepacht, Route 44 remains a rural road resolutely in two lanes, a little smaller than its nickname Putnam Pike would suggest. It passes some leisure areas and small lakes where the water reflects the foliage of the shiny maple. The city of Mill de Putnam, Conn., Was formed in 1855. The Quinebaug river dam striking in the heart of the city (a hydroelectric installation) has an excellent photo shoot.
It is worth timing your visit to hit Putnam at lunchtime, because the city has the largest range of lunchtime relaxed restaurants. We love the Nikki dog house, which has been making “Dogs from Coney Island” (a nominal specialty of Rhode Island) for more than four decades. “The works” is garnished with the “famous” meat sauce, mustard and chopped onions. Since Nikki is on the state line, we are not sure to follow the state of the ocean state to finish dogs with celestial salt savings.
You will need the fortification before exploring four levels of antiques market, a sprawling emporium with 350 spaces of concessionaires in 22,000 square feet. Think of the place like anti-bay. They do not send or quote prices by phone or e-mail. Buyers must come and see and manage goods in person. Years ago, it was the essential store for brass and craft bed furniture. Nowadays, some dealers are aimed at generation X buyers, focusing on vinyl discs, vintage comics, clothing and vintage jewelry from the 60s and 70s and watches to wear as jewelry. But eclectic windows and vignettes cover most categories of antiques and collects, including oriental carpets, wall clocks and advertising memories.
The route of 9 miles on the hills in Woodstock is brief but pretty – expanses of agricultural land punctuated by clusters of businesses by the road (including more antiques stores) and the type of small common shopping centers in areas that lack commercial districts of the village center. The grace of the colonial era of Woodstock makes it the prettiest of the three cities. The common city at the intersection of Route 169 and Hill Cemetery Road includes a Greek Greek Congregation Church in Greek Renaissance style, its brilliant plates with Clap-Cartouches and its pointed arrows on a blue autumn sky. Row on a row of Woodstockers rested under slate in Lichen crust and granite tombstones in the adjacent cemetery, lending an autumn solemnity to otherwise resplendent foliage.
As intense as the foliage may be, there is no shortage of the huge pink Gothic renewal house just at the bottom of the street. Known as Roseland Cottage, it was the summer house in PhilanthropE, abolitionist and publisher Henry C. Bowen, who was born in Woodstock but who made a fortune in New York. Guided tours have a distribution of characters that could populate a PBS “Masterpiece” series. The pure exuberance of the historic property of New England is contagious. Roseland is organizing her annual Fine Arts and Crafts Festival (150 craftsmen from New England, live music, a catering area, visits to the first floor of the Manor) on the weekend of October 18 to 19.
Any autumn outing in New England is incomplete without stopping a farm. Fortunately, Woodstock Orchards is less than half a million on the Roseland Cottage road 169. You could come for pumpkins and mothers exposed outside the apple barn, but the chances are good that you will remain for the range of apples (more than 20 varieties), fresh apple cider jugs and – this is New England – apple cider donuts. They make a sweet end to a day of putter in this well -named quiet corner.
Contact Patricia Harris and David Lyon in harrislyon@gmail.com.
Brown & Hopkins campaign store
1179 Putnam Pike, Chepahet, Ri
401-568-4830, Shopbrownandhopkins.com
Open Monday to Saturday. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Old Stone Mill Ancient & Treasures
1169 Putnam Pike, Chepahet, Ri
401-309-7662, Open Fri.-Sun. 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Nikki dog house
5 canal St., putnam, conn.
860-928-0252, nikkisdoghouse.com
Open Mer.-Thu., Sun. 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Fr. Sat. 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Hot-dogs $ 3 at $ 7
Antiquity market
109, rue Main, putnam, conn.
860-928-0442, open sea.-mon. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Roseland cottage
556 route 169, Woodstock, conn.
860-928-4074, historicnewengland.org
Open until October 26, Thursday to Sunday, shot at 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. (closed from October 17, 23-24)
Adults $ 20, seniors $ 17, students and children $ 7
Wooden burgundy
494 route 169, Woodstock, conn.
860-928-2225, Woodstockorchardsllc.com
Storage open every day from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., bakery open every day from 6:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Patricia Harris can be contacted at harrislyon@gmail.com. David Lyon is contacted at harrislyon@gmail.com.
