Hospital Rock
Connecticut Historical Landmark
Off the Metacomet Trail in Farmington, CT
Parking: Closest official parking is near 168 Colt Hwy, Farmington, CT
Trail Map Trails: 2 miles Rating: ★★★☆☆
Off the Metacomet Trail, near Pinnacle Rock and Lone Pine Cliff is the hidden Hospital Rock.
Despite being a designated archeological site, the area is an unprotected piece of Connecticut history. The rock was located near a smallpox inoculation hospital in the late 1700s and was likely an area for recovering patients, who would otherwise be quarantined, to meet with family. The hospital closed in 1794. The official count for ‘original’ inscriptions is 66, though my recent visit showed a number of carvings from the 1900s.
In 2002 the Connecticut Historical Society named it a Historic Archeological Site and today it is an overgrown and well-weathered stone. Many of the inscriptions are faint and hard to read. Preservation has been considered for a long time, but likely due to easement issues the rock remains unprotected.
Links:
Hog River Journal – Hospital Rock by Charles Leach, M.D.
Shepard, James. “The Small-Pox Hospital Rock at Farmington, Conn.” In The Connecticut Quarterly – January, 1895 to December, 1895, Vol. 1. Hartford, CT: The Connecticut Quarterly Company, 1895.
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