Blog Memories: A Visit to Woodbury, Connecticut

August 2, 2022

Blog Memories: A Visit to Woodbury, Connecticut

We're continuing with a selection of encore blog postings this week. Here's another memorable blog from our visit to Woodbury, Connecticut. It was originally posted on September 5th, 2018. Enjoy.

If you’re ever in or around western Connecticut and love visiting small, charming towns or shopping for antiques, I encourage you to make a stop in the quaint hamlet of Woodbury.

Nestled in the foothills of Litchfield County, Woodbury is known as the “Antiques Capital of Connecticut.” This reputation was established more than 50-years ago when antiques dealers began setting up shops in the historic homes along Main Street. Now the area has more than 35 antiques stores featuring some of the best in period furniture, decor, and art. Woodbury is also filled with beautiful churches and inns, and excellent restaurants and cafes. I've been to Woodbury many times and have always enjoyed my visits there - I know you will too.

Enjoy these photos and go to the Woodbury Antiques Dealers Association web site for more information.

: Yesterday, my assistant went to Woodbury to pick up something I had recently purchased. This is Tucker Frey Antiques, a shop specializing in 18th and early 19th century pieces. http://www.walinfreyantiques.com/

: I had purchased these two antique windows from Tucker Frey, last month, at the New Hampshire Antiques Show. These windows are 300-years old.

: They came from a church in Sheffield, Massachusetts. I love the shape and architecture of these windows.

: Tucker’s shop has many treasures including William and Mary, Queen Anne, Chippendale, and Federal period furniture and accessories.

: Here is a folk art portrait of a boy and his dog from the early 1800s.

: This tabletop figure of a woman and her hat probably came from a 19th-century milliner’s shop.

: Here is a beautiful antique chest with original brass hardware – everything is in such excellent condition.

: Here is one of several copper molds at Tucker’s shop – this lion is quite rare. Molds were popular during the Victorian Era for both savory and sweet dishes. I have collected many molds over the years.

: This is an antique pheasant weather vane mounted on a wooden stand.

: Next door to Tucker Frey Antiques is Cedar Meadow Store – an antiques shop with whimsy. Owners, Veronica Martin and Jim Orsi both enjoy color, graphics, nature, and folk art. On a center of this table is a taxidermy kingfisher under a glass dome. It is early 20th century from a Natural History Museum in Italy.

: This large “store” sign is original from 1850.

: This is a set of Victorian nesting blocks.

: And here – two Hubley cast iron Boston Terrier door stops. In front of them are modern Tatine votive candles.

: Woodbury is very historic. St. Paul’s Episcopal Church sits across the street from Tucker’s shop. It was first organized in 1740.

: In 1961, a new parish house was attached to St. Paul’s. The land under the parish house had belonged to the Town of Woodbury, which sold the property to the church in 1959 for a dollar.

: Further down Main Street is The Elemental Garden. Unfortunately, it was closed at the time. http://www.theelementalgarden.com/

: The Elemental Garden focuses on rare and authentic garden antiques, bold furnishings, and unusual decorative accessories – the walkway to the entrance was decorated with this quaint arbor.

: Along the driveway are several ornamental garden statues. This is a set of four lead figures, each representing a different season, raised on large plinth blocks of limestone. They were once part of Oprah Winfrey’s personal collection.

: These are covered marble mid-18th century urns hand-carved by a master Italian artisan in Marchese.

: This is the Woodbury Public Library. The town’s library first opened in 1851 with a collection of 200-books. It moved to this location in 1902. In its earliest days, the library was governed by several rules including “books could be drawn on the first Thursday of each month, and three-cent fines were levied for damages such as turned down pages or ink spots.”

: Not far is the Woodbury Town Hall Building.

: The Red Barn Thrift Shop is the go-to place for gently used clothing, household items, books, linens.

: The sign next to the door listed its hours and times. Unfortunately, this day was a Tuesday…

: Next door is the Red Barn’s other building called the Parsonage Boutique, where most of the clothing items are displayed for visitors.

: Wayne Mattox Antiques is a trusted source for 18th and 19th century American furniture, paintings and folk art as well as primitives and antiques with historic appeal. https://www.antiquetalk.com/

: The gallery is housed in a classic Greek revival home. This handsome wooden figure sits by the front door.

: Wayne has many beautiful antique weather vanes such as this cow with a beautiful patina – the green or brown film on the surface of bronze or similar metals, produced by oxidation over a long period of time.

: This is a horse weather vane. A weather vane, wind vane, or weathercock, is an instrument showing the direction of the wind. They often sit atop houses or tower buildings.

: This is a giant wooden antique post topper from the early 19th century.

: Woodbury is also home to this charming old hardware and feed store, CL Adams Company.

: Housed in a converted barn, the stalls are used for storing farm animal feed and supplies.

: There are also smaller, hand-packed bags of birdseed.

: Inside the store, vintage shelving holds an array of cabinet hardware.

: And of course, old fashioned gumball machines for its younger visitors.

: Many shops along and around Main Street are listed on the National Registry of Historic Buildings, such as the B. Bourgeois Lighting Building, a gallery of historic lighting fixtures. This structure was originally built in the late 1700s.