Things to Do in CT - Bushnell Park, Hartford, CT
Hartford’s Bushnell Park was the brainchild of the revolutionary theologian Reverand Horace Bushnell. Among his many controversial views at the time, including moving away from rigid intellectual orthodoxy toward humanity’s more spiritual nature, was the idea that people need open public spaces. Designed by Viennese-educated Jacob Weidenmann, Hartford’s first Superintendent of Parks and collaborator on Montreal’s Mont Royal Park and the grounds of the Capitol in Washington, DC, it was the first municipal park in the country to be voted and paid for by citizens. Spread out over 50 acres of green space, Hartford’s Bushnell Park is the oldest publicly funded park in the country and is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places.
