Original subtitles

named for the author heart of darkness,

today the fort complex contains a museum

with over 225 years of military history on display.

a flotilla of small sailing boats

takes safe harbor in one of connecticut's jewels:

mystic seaport, the museum of america and the sea.

this is the country's largest maritime museum,

and many sailing ships from america's past

have been brought here...

including the charles w. morgan,

the nation's only surviving wooden whaling ship.

and the joseph conrad,

as a top-secret laboratory for the navy.

a novel that would later inspire

francis ford coppola's apocalypse now.

the museum also houses a 19th-century fishing village.

although most of the houses are authentic,

they were moved here

from various locations around new england.

waterbury was once famous for making clocks,

so it's only fitting

that the largest timepiece in new england resides here.

this enormous clock tower was a late addition

and there were heavy casualties on both sides.

fort griswold was attacked by a british force

led by america's most infamous traitor--

connecticut native benedict arnold.

the marks of the original fort

can clearly be seen from the air.

arnold was given detailed plans of the building

by another turncoat.

with such knowledge, victory was almost guaranteed.

but the stationed soldiers

refused to surrender without a fight,

to plans for the waterbury train station.

eventually arnold's forces won.

just across the thames

stands the more impressive fort trumbull.

but back in 1781 it was only a three-sided rampart

and garrisoned by just 23 men.

arnold took it easily.

missing out on one conflict,

fort trumbull finally had a military role--

over 150 years later.

during the cold war it served

had rescued a lost white man in the forest

beneath the surface, divers can still see old roads,

houses, farm implements and model-ts

abandoned when the workers left the area.

in its early days, the lake was known by many names--

but candlewood was the one that stuck,

after the nearby mountain.

evocative names are everywhere in connecticut,

and perhaps none more so than lillinonah lake,

along the headwaters of the housatonic river.

it's named after one half of a tale of doomed love.

accounts say lillinonah

on its manufactured shoreline are now worth.

and fallen for him.

the young lovers eventually convinced her father,

an indian chief, to let them marry.

but first, the prospective groom

left to pay a last visit to his people.

when the young man didn't return soon,

lillinonah's father arranged his daughter's marriage

to a young man of the tribe.

distraught, lillinonah took a canoe

out in the housatonic river and tossed away her paddle,

and the 16-foot clock.

in 1909, the president

of the new york, new haven and hartford railroad

had gone to italy with his wife.

he was so entranced by the torre del mangia of siena

that, upon his return,

he decided to create a replica of that tower here.

he enlisted the same architectural firm

that created ellis island's great hall

and the original penn station in new york.

he spared no expense to add the 245-foot tall structure

at the battle of groton heights on september 6, 1781,

in connecticut you are never far from water.

but it's largest and most famous lake

was actually made by human hands.

this 16-mile-long body of water

was created by the connecticut light & power company,

and is used to generate hydroelectric power

for the area.

back in 1928,

the lake project cost a total of $1 million--

which is how much some of the homes

learning the skills that would take him to second place

have designated it a nature reserve--

and tried to ward people off.

but some still find their way here

in search of old legends and ghosts.

here, at lime rock park,

a hollywood star satisfied his passion for driving.

too small to be a major track,

its beautiful location and history

places it firmly in the hearts of racing fans--

including the late paul newman.

he cut his teeth at lime rock,

the current owners of the property

in the le mans endurance race.

opened in 1957 by jim vaill,

there can be no racing on this track on sundays

because it's across the street from a church.

but it keeps busy, even though this means

it can only hold a few big weekend events a year.

newman was the most famous resident

of the coastal town of westport

until his passing in 2008.

but his legacy lives on.

hidden in this forest,

a break in the forest reveals harvest time

for a traditional new england crop.

pumpkins have been grown for food by humans for generations,

but these look set for jack-o-lanterns.

there are many varieties, but the connecticut field pumpkin

is the most popular type for halloween,

thanks to its picture-book color and size.

in a land rich in ghost stories, perhaps the most chilling

concerns a lost connecticut village:

dudleytown, also known as "the village of the damned."

his habit of making salad dressing

just south of coltsfoot mountain,

are ruins not marked on most maps.

legend has it that a curse

followed the dudley family from england

after one of their number was beheaded

for plotting against king henry viii.

widespread suicides, mysterious disappearances

and general mayhem followed the family

to the town they settled in connecticut.

by the early 1900s, it had been abandoned to the forest.

the uss nautilus is more than an exhibit.

her need to perform isn't.

the abbey's choir has released several cds of gregorian chants,

and its programs include summer theater workshops.

a world away-- but in the same state--

the neat banks of submarines at groton

signal a deadly intent.

as a gateway to the atlantic,

connecticut plays a vital part in the nation's defense.

on the banks of the thames river,

groton is homeport to 16 attack submarines--

and an impressive naval museum.

while the glamour may be a distant memory,

it was the first nuclear submarine in the world.

with its keel laid by president truman in 1954,

this groundbreaking vessel

embarked on a career of many firsts,

including the first crossing of the north pole by ship.

the ship was finally decommissioned in 1980

and brought here in 1986.

while submarines operate miles out at sea,

the thames river played its own part

in the history of u.s. warfare.

they fashioned their abbey's main structure

for friends and family

sparked an idea.

the "newman's own" brand

was founded in 1982 with his friend aaron hotchner.

so far over $250 million has been given to charity

from the sale of dressings, sauces and lemonade.

such selflessness would not be lost

on the nuns of the abbey of regina laudis in bethlehem.

when a connecticut industrialist donated some land

to a french and an american nun,

barreling toward certain death in the rapids.

from an old factory building.

the abbey has since expanded-- in size and in people.

one of the abbey's most famous residents is dolores hart--

a movie actress turned catholic nun.

by the age of 25, hart had delivered

elvis presley's first onscreen kiss

and was on her way to stardom.

then, in 1963, hart left hollywood

to become a benedictine nun

within the peaceful confines of the abbey.

he liked to spy on his guests--

but she donated four acres of beachfront property

to the public--

to be used as a nature sanctuary.

before hepburn became a star,

another connecticut actor, william gillette,

built gillette castle in east haddam.

he was the son of an important hartford family

and earned his big break from neighbor mark twain,

who recommended him for a part the gilded age.

gillette built this eccentric dream home

after his retirement.

her 8,300-square-foot house has been sold,

including albert einstein and charlie chaplin--

using mirrors from his bedroom.

since he had no heirs, he stated only that his castle

should not fall into the hands of "some blithering saphead

who has no conception of where he is or with what surrounded."

it was ultimately bought by the state of connecticut

and turned into a popular public park.

sitting off the coast of branford

are the thimble islands.

there are about 200 of them, but the exact number depends

even though she was one of the most famous actresses

at the intersection of long island sound

and the connecticut river

lies old saybrook.

the oldest town on the shoreline,

it was also the site

of connecticut's first english fort.

for years, residents of this close-knit coastal community

used to see an old woman biking through town.

she was such a regular sight

that most never gave her a second look--

on how high the tide is when they're being counted.

of all time:

katharine hepburn.

her family first summered here in 1912.

when the original house was swept away in a 1938 hurricane,

it was rebuilt-- this time in brick.

during her years as a hollywood celebrity,

hepburn often came here to escape for long weekends--

sometimes with guests like spencer tracy or howard hughes.

when she got older, she came to stay in old saybrook for good--

and this was where she died, at the age of 96.

connecticut is a state that continually redefines itself.

then in 2003 it was sold again for $22 million--

almost eight times as much.

at that price, the property should at least come

with the promise of hidden treasure.

but alas, captain kidd is rumored to have hidden his loot

on money island a mile to the southeast.

or was it high island?

the stories vary.

horse island is the largest of the thimble chain

and remains an ecological study center for yale.

from its islands to its mainland,

in 1985 for $3 million.

to see connecticut by air

is to see its rich history, quiet beauty,

and lasting monuments of its steady inhabitants.

home to inventors and writers,

wealthy merchants and their eccentric children...

ancestral lands to native inhabitants

and puritan values,

ancient whalers and modern seafarers...

it has long been and continues to be a steady leader

in america's march toward a brighter future.

many of them victorian cottages built in the early 1900s.

most are very small and easily covered--

and fewer than 30 are large enough to be occupied.

the islands didn't earn their name

from being as small as thimbles, but from the thimbleberry,

a type of blackberry that once grew all over here.

by their very nature,

the islands are extremely private,

and there are no hotels or stores around.

in fact, there are fewer than a hundred homes

on all the islands,

the island has had a stonewall added to help stop erosion.

these quaint summer homes usually pass

from one generation to the next--

but several islands are so exclusive

that they have just a single residence.

the privacy and exclusivity of these homes

have made them highly prized,

resulting in heated bidding wars.

the trophy of the group

is a 1902 mansion on the 12-acre rogers island.

in 1980 it was on the market for $1.8 million.

while connecticut has many wealthy towns,

in this very exclusive town

is here in belle haven.

in 1975, this neighborhood was the site of a notorious murder

when 15-year-old martha moxley

was found beaten to death with a golf club.

the crime remained unsolved for many years, until the 1990s,

when interest in the case picked up again.

police returned to their original suspect,

michael skakel.

in 2002, skakel was finally found guilty of the crime

and sentenced to 20 years in prison.

one of the most exclusive communities

the state's largest, bridgeport,

is only just beginning to recover

from the loss of heavy industry in the 1970s and '80s.

every day thousands commute

the 60 or so miles to new york for work.

the city has never been short on character.

however, one such former resident

certainly knew how to draw a crowd.

some call p.t. barnum the greatest showman;

others a marketing genius.

were claimed by the neighboring new york colony.

suddenly she saw her beloved calling out to her--

and he dove into the raging waters to save her.

in their final embrace,

the couple disappeared into the falls.

legend has it that their recovered bodies

were still locked in each other's arms.

hydroelectric dams have eliminated the actual falls,

but the gorge and its modern bridge

are now named lover's leap in their honor.

back in the 17th century, parts of southwestern connecticut

but there's no denying

new york finally gave up its claim to the region,

leaving connecticut with several key cities,

including greenwich, founded in 1665.

more recently, greenwich's combination

of new england charm and new york proximity

has helped make it

one of the state's most desirable places to live.

with the highest median household income in the nation,

connecticut's southwestern shoreline

is sometimes called "the gold coast."

congress authorized its construction

their latest models go through practice runs

over the connecticut countryside.

sikorsky died at home in easton, connecticut, in 1972.

aerial america might never have been possible.

known as the eiffel tower of long island sound,

the faulkner's island lighthouse still stands proudly

more than two centuries after it was built.

the lighthouse was commissioned by president thomas jefferson

because of ships being wrecked

on their way to and from guilford.

for the u.s. military.

at the price of $6,000,

or almost $120,000 today.

but the lighthouse almost had a very short lifespan.

when british troops landed here during the war of 1812,

the keeper feared they might destroy the tower.

but the british soldiers knew they needed the lighthouse

to sail in and out of port safely,

and asked only that the light keep burning here.

in recent years, the only threat to the lighthouse

has been mother nature.

that he made his most lasting contribution:

that the man who has been quoted as saying

"there's a sucker born every minute"

put bridgeport on the map.

this curious building houses his museum,

chronicling a career that involved showcasing

siamese twins, an alleged mermaid,

and a midget named tom thumb.

barnum lived to the ripe old age of 80.

and it was only after most people

would have considered retirement

a hidden steel deck was added beneath it in 1973.

a circus called "p.t. barnum's traveling museum,

menagerie, caravan and hippodrome."

near bridgeport a strange runway reveals the products

of one of connecticut's great success stories.

igor sikorsky founded the aircraft company

that bore his name in 1925.

originally a maker of fixed-wing aircraft,

sikorsky invented the first mass-produced helicopter in 1942

and changed aviation history forever.

today this factory makes the black hawk helicopter

earning the nickname "the elm city."

have emerged ever since.

the city of new haven is a beacon

for the nation's learning--

and a showcase for town planning.

at its center is the 16-acre green,

with its neat paths radiating out to the historic downtown.

founded in 1638, new haven was the first town in the u.s.

to use a grid system.

many american cities, if not all,

have since adopted the same planned design.

but it's also a place famous for its natural beauty,

reports of mysterious occurrences at the lighthouse

it's lined with many massive elms,

the remnants of america's first public tree planting program.

taking pride of place in this city of trees

is connecticut's most famous institution: yale university.

the school was founded in nearby saybrook

and moved to new haven in 1716 after a protracted debate.

first called "the collegiate school,"

yale was started in 1701 by a group of ten ministers.

the men-- all alumni of harvard--

had pooled their books to form the school's first library.

is much resorted to during the heavy gales of winter."

over new london harbor.

89 feet high and built in 1801,

new london lighthouse is the oldest in the state

and the fourth oldest in north america.

it cost the staggering sum of $15,000,

but for local sailors it was money well spent.

one wrote in the 19th century:

"it is of great importance as a leading light for vessels

going in and out of the harbor of new london,

which, on account of its position and security,

by 1718, the college's name was changed

a short distance away, in the mouth of the harbor,

sits the new london ledge lighthouse.

this striking structure was built in 1909

and designed to look just like the homes

of the wealthy residents along the coast.

the lighthouse is said to be haunted

by the ghost of a former keeper.

according to legend, when the keeper's wife ran off,

he jumped off the lighthouse

and drowned in the cold waters of long island sound.

to mass-produce 10,000 guns.

and led to the creation

of sleeping giant state park in 1924.

the giant has slept soundly ever since--

despite this observation tower being built

on his thickly wooded belly.

also in hamden is an important epicenter of innovation.

it was here that inventor eli whitney

made a key contribution to america's industrial revolution.

after patent violations kept him from reaping profits

from his invention of the cotton gin,

in 1798 he signed a government contract

but public outcry soon put an end to the blasting

whitney harnessed natural power for his factory

from the flow of the mill river,

and broke new ground

by making the weapons with interchangeable parts.

another innovation was creating the pieces by machine

instead of by hand.

the innovations developed here

would ultimately help the industrialized north

defeat the south in the civil war.

connecticut is a land of towers with incredible views.

this area is known as the land of the sleeping giant.

in honor of the main benefactor, elihu yale.

the university's most prominent landmark, harkness tower,

stands 216 feet tall,

and its 44 carillon bells ring out every hour.

yale is the third oldest university in america,

and is considered one of the most prestigious--

with good reason.

since the 1970s, four of its alumni

have gone on to become president of the united states.

running north from yale is an even older landmark.

two permanent sentinels stand watch

from a distance you can see a long two-mile hill

that looks like a giant's resting body.

native americans call this giant hobomock,

who was put to sleep by a good spirit

to stop his destructive urges.

the giant's rest has not always been peaceful.

he was disturbed by vandals in the early 20th century.

and then judge willis cook--

whose property included the giant's head--

allowed stone quarrying on the land.

bought up the mohegans' land and forced them out,

from water or dense forest--

with a long coastline sheltered by long island to the south.

the native people called it "long river place"--

or connecticut.

the first european settlers discovered,

along the calm waters of long island sound,

abundant natural harbors.

prosperity was guaranteed-- at least for the europeans.

for the native mohegan indians, the story is a little different.

it starts in tragedy, but ends in a kind of triumph.

in the 17th century, white english and dutch settlers

it's a land where you're never far

leading to a long decline.

the mohegans were also devastated

by imported european diseases.

by the american revolution, their population had dwindled

from thousands to just 70 people.

this glittering building marks a revival

of the mohegan tribe's fortunes,

thanks to proceeds from the mohegan sun casino and hotel

in uncasville.

with 300,000 square feet of gambling space,

escaped the limelight--

connecticut is a land

of scenic coastline and pristine waterways.

it's been an important center of commerce since colonial times...

and the home of historic events and people

that have helped shape the nation.

from the house where huckleberry finn was born,

to the factory that created

the colt revolver and the m-16 assault rifle--

and the estate

where one of hollywood's greatest female stars

everything in the design

history has been made on these shores again and again.

this is also a place brimming with myth and legend...

from stories about a deadly dog

to tales of a haunted lighthouse--

and to a sleeping giant who may never spill his secrets.

aerial connecticut is a journey across a land

shaped by innovation and ingenuity...

a place where old traditions and new innovations

have come together to create a state

rich in wealth, institutions and ideas.

jutting out precariously at the mouth of new haven harbor

in the northeastern corner of the state--

was the site of new england's first school

for african-american girls.

when prudence crandall founded it in 1832,

the school was unpopular with locals,

and she faced humiliation, arrest

and a trial that brought her to the state supreme court.

her defiance paved the way for others to follow,

and in her honor her former school and home

is now called the prudence crandall museum.

here in canterbury--

stands another testament to connecticut bravery.

at this fort--reconstructed from the original--

19 american soldiers held out against the british

during the revolutionary war.

in july 1779, hundreds of redcoats

landed nearby and attacked the fort from behind.

in spite of overwhelming odds,

the plucky soldiers defended the harbor

until they ran out of ammunition and made a run for it.

a little further east along the shoreline,

each pillar represents the 13 moons

is infused with meaning to the tribe.

the centerpiece is the iconic 1,200-room hotel.

its crystal facade and shape

are designed to resemble the quartzite

once used by mohegans to make arrowheads.

embracing modern commerce

has allowed the mohegans to honor their dead fittingly.

a few miles up the road in norwich,

a permanent memorial of 13 pillars stands proud

on the site of a mohegan burial ground.

castle craig is perched on an inland cliff edge

in the mohegan calendar.

their most famous leader, chief uncas,

is believed to be buried

somewhere in this 3 1/2-acre park.

the tribe fought for years

to regain their former burial ground.

but it wasn't until 1999

that the mohegans finally reclaimed the land--

buying it from the city of norwich.

connecticut is justly proud of its schools.

and later still came the advent of steam.

a short way down the connecticut river

floats a unique moving landmark.

for this man and his car,

the $3.00 toll to cross the connecticut river

is both timesaving and historic.

the rocky hill-glastonbury ferry

has been in business since 1655--

making it the nation's oldest continually operating ferry.

back then the ferryman used poles to push his boat

across the 1,000-foot stretch of water.

later on, a horse walking a treadmill did the hard work,

was clearly time well spent.

today diesel power has replaced centuries of toil.

crossing the river here shaves eight miles off his journey,

and allows time to savor the view.

connecticut may be known for its industry and innovation,

but some days in this state

shouldn't be allowed to go by without pausing for a rest.

that rest could come from the shade

of one of the state's many trees--

or perhaps one in particular.

the pinchot sycamore-- the largest in new england--

but no less important in the state's history.

to build a nearby mansion, armsmear,

considered the greatest hartford residence of its day.

he constructed the palatial italian-style villa

as a home for his new wife, elizabeth jarvis.

after colt's death in 1862,

elizabeth was one of the richest women in the world.

she used her fortune to become a dedicated patron of the arts--

collecting and donating many great works

over the next four decades.

the historic houses of wethersfield are more modest,

is named after gifford pinchot,

ranging in age from early to mid 18th century,

they typify early settler architecture:

simple, efficient clapboard designs.

here at joseph webb house, in 1781,

general george washington

convened a five-day military conference

that would ultimately seal america's independence.

at the battle of yorktown later in the year,

the young nation finally defeated the british.

the military conference here at wethersfield

today over 100,000 people a year visit the tower.

at the beginning of world war i,

when rumors flew that the tower was being used

to send messages to german ships.

to halt this speculation,

heublein offered the federal government

use of the property.

they declined, but the rumors quickly died down.

in 1952, a group of prominent citizens gathered here

to pressure a renowned general into running for president.

dwight d. eisenhower accepted,

and was sworn into office the following year.

its owner's heritage caused problems

connecticut's small creeks and streams

were once dotted with covered bridges.

but today, the west cornwall bridge

is one of only three original structures that remain.

built in 1864, it was designed by ithiel town,

one of america's first architects

and another connecticut native.

his design, crisscrossing pieces of wood that form a lattice,

allowed the bridge to hold more weight.

even so, the bridge has received a little help over the years--

many of the nation's most prominent politicians

the father of american conservation.

its canopy stretches 140 feet-- half a football field--

and it's at least two centuries old.

a small town with a big reputation, litchfield--

in the northwest of the state--

is home to another important first.

a judge named tapping reeve

devised a series of lectures on law

and established, in 1784,

the first law school in the country.

colt used his vast fortune

studied here,

including thomas jefferson's vice president, aaron burr,

28 senators, and 3 supreme court justices.

it closed in 1833.

further east, another connecticut tower

played a part in u.s. presidential history.

rising from a natural wonder known as talcott mountain,

165-foot-tall heublein tower was built as a summer home

by a german-american businessman

who modeled it after castles in his homeland.

the travelers tower is home to one such insurance company,

to the state's inner regions.

the state capitol of hartford

was settled on the banks of the river

in 1623 by dutch traders.

what started as a fort known as "the house of hope"

soon became a prosperous outpost.

one of the town's great success stories continues to this day.

merchants needed insurance to protect their ships and cargo,

and hartford gladly obliged.

with its modern skyline of office blocks,

it's become known as the insurance capital of america.

connected this bustling coastline

and remains the city's most distinctive landmark.

amazingly this impressive structure

was once the seventh highest building in the world.

today it's not even the tallest in its own city.

hartford has a long history as a center of democracy.

the first written constitution

guaranteeing representative government

was signed in connecticut in 1639.

as a result the state earned its nickname,

the constitution state.

the first sighting of this legendary hound--

in an area known as the hanging hills.

the view is commanding--

offering the highest vantage point

anywhere along the eastern seaboard.

the castle was built by a local manufacturer a century ago,

although the origin of its design is unclear.

some say it was inspired by an 11th-century french tower;

others by a 12th-century turkish tower.

looking out, you may catch a glimpse

of the infamous black dog of the hanging hills.

over 150 years later,

who leaves no footprints and makes no sound--

is said to bring joy.

but the second sighting supposedly leads to misfortune,

and the third is considered an omen of death.

connecticut is a state shaped by its access to the oceans

through its rivers and coastline.

and its waterways served as major highways

for transporting goods in early america.

protected by long island sound, maritime trades thrived.

the majestic connecticut river

that "of all the beautiful towns it has been my fortune to see,

and, despite his three young daughters running amok,

he found time to write

the adventures of huckleberry finn

a connecticut yankee in king arthur's court.

the house is now abutted by a museum

dedicated to the highs and lows of twain's life.

although twain's literary success made him wealthy,

bad investments saddled him with debt.

he left his hartford home for good in 1891.

he wrote of his beloved city

enlisted an english architect to create this dramatic house.

this is the chief of all."

away from the peaceful residential areas

lies the most famous gun factory in the world.

learning industrial-scale manufacturing from eli whitney,

samuel colt built his own gun empire here

in an area of hartford later named coltsville.

his distinctive domed armory is the centerpiece of a factory

that made the first revolvers and the m-16 assault rifle.

the firearms made in hartford have played a vital role

in u.s. history for over 150 years.

with bushnell park rolling out before it,

connecticut built its first statehouse.

it's the oldest in the nation

and served as the official state capitol building

until 1878.

its architect, charles bulfinch,

went on to help create the capitol building

in washington, d.c.

today it's affectionately referred to

as the "old statehouse"

and remains one of hartford's architectural treasures.

nestled above long island sound,

the new state capitol is a grander affair.

costing a staggering $2.5 million at the time,

or $53.5 million in today's money,

it's regarded as a perfect example

of high victorian gothic architecture.

opening for state business in 1879,

it's been serving the citizens of connecticut ever since.

perhaps america's greatest literary figure

built his dream home here in hartford.

samuel clemens-- better known as mark twain--