Litchfield Court House

Although Litchfield wasn’t founded until nearly 50 years after Woodbury, it became the county seat of Litchfield County in 1751, allegedly after Woodbury declined the honor for fear of the riff-raff (lawyers and clients) that the county court would attract. With the nation’s first law school (founded by lawyer Tapping Reeve in 1784) and the highly regarded Litchfield Female Academy, many traveled the route from Woodbury to Litchfield marked by milestones.

Litchfield Court House

The milestones are marked “L” at the top, denoting the destination as Litchfield. Distance from Litchfield is chiseled in Roman numerals, followed by “M” for miles. All stones are set on the traveler’s right (westerly) side, traveling from Litchfield.

Lat.:    41° 44.800'N

Long.: 73° 11.396'W

Are you striking out from Litchfield some sunny morning, looking for opportunities in the water-powered mills of Woodbury, Southbury, Oxford, Watertown, or the growing manufacturing center in Waterbury? Will you be traveling as far as New Haven, the co-capital of Connecticut? If your day was spent presenting your case in the county courthouse, perhaps you are hurrying home to your business or family, either to celebrate a just victory or under the grey clouds of legal defeat. With a distance of 15 miles between Litchfield and Woodbury town center, over rough dirt roads, the journey is exhausting on foot, and only slightly easier if you have a horse.