Puritan settlers, with ideals founded in order and simplicity, were lured into the Connecticut River Valley during the 1630s, attracted by its fertile land, elbow room and mainly a chance for religious freedom. Towns were built with a distinct uniform plan, centering the church in their lives and also in the town green. In Connecticut, the Puritan way of life prevailed 200 years longer than any other place in the United States.
   Here in western Connecticut the Housatonic River flows beside some of the state's most historic towns, including Kent, Bulls Bridge, New Milford, Brookfield, Danbury, Canaan Village and West Cornwall. The Housatonic, sometimes called the Puritan River, begins in the Massachusetts Berkshires. As the river flows south its passes through the Housatonic State Forest, along the Appalachian Trail and southward through Connecticut's fertile lowlands called Marble Valley. Following CT Route 7, sightseers will travel through these charming small towns, patches of forestland and small farmsteads, a few specializing in organic and sustainable agriculture.
   This modest barn conversion is located nearby town of Kent in the Housatonic River Valley. One example of how farms and farmland are disappearing, today only 3800 farms remain in Connecticut. In just 50 years, over 15,000 farms have vanished from the state's countryside. While the Puritan way of life has disappeared, those remaining farms continue to thrive, and the Housatonic River cleanup is nearing completion.

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