Interesting Facts about Connecticut

• Early Hartford, described as a Puritan theocracy, was known for its strict religious law. Its "blue laws" called for the death penalty for any son who cursed or struck his parents. Elder Malbone once flogged his daughter Martha on the green for going on a date with a young gentleman.
• The great charter of 1662 extended Connecticut west even to the Pacific Ocean.
• During the American Revolution, Lime Rock metal workers forged a huge chain that was stretched across the Hudson River to keep British ships from sailing up that strategic waterway. Each link was three feet long.
• During the American Revolution, at the age of 15, Samuel Smedley of Fairfield became a captain of a privateer ship. By war's end he had captured more enemy prize ships than any other captain, surpassing even the small U.S. Navy.