Adriaen Block
Adriaen Block
A short distance from
where you are standing,
in 1614
Adriaen Block, captain of the ship Restless
sails up a river from the Atlantic Ocean
which native peoples of the region have named
"Quinnehtukqut", meaning the Great Tidal River,
and Block names "DeVersche, " Freshwater River.
His mission is to chart this land for
the Dutch West Indian Company.
The Dutch establish a fort near here in 1633
known as the House of Hope.
This marks the beginning of European
settlement in the Connecticut River Valley.
Adriaen Block sculpture by Randy Nelson, 1996
Made possible through a grant from
The Hartford Courant Foundation.
Marker can be reached from the intersection of Main Street and Central Row, on the right when traveling north.
Courtesy hmdb.org
