Underneath that blue dome lies the east armory of a factory once owned by a man who changed American history, the innovator of the revolver, Samuel Colt. Sprawling around the crumbling red brickwork of the old Colt’s Patent Firearms Manufacturing Company, once the largest private armory in the world, are the remnants of Coltsville, the utopian village he built for his workers.

A model of 19th century industrial paternalism, Coltsville included a church, a social hall for dances and lectures, workers’ housing, a giant landscaped park home to deer and peacocks, sculpted botanical gardens, and thousands of feet of greenhouses filled with tropical fruit and flowers. Samuel Colt felt such responsibility for the welfare of his workers outside the factory that he went so far as to build Potsdam Village, to replicate the feel of the German village from which he imported his skilled craftsmen to work in his willow ware factory.

The National Park Service began having on-site presence in 2015, with workshops and tours, including up into the Blue Onion Dome which affords magnificent views of downtown Hartford, the Connecticut River and Colt Park, formerly the back yard of Armsmear, Samuel & Elizabeth Colt’s mansion. By 2016, an NPS ranger had taken up residence in the South Armory and was giving walking tours of Coltsville.

The old South, East and North armories are under renovation and the two 1855 brownstone buildings, the oldest structures on site, will become the National Park Service Visitor Center. The armories themselves have been or are being renovated into apartments, offices and education facilities.

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13 Jun - 15 Jun

Compare rooms and suites by Red Roof Inn in Sheldon-Charter Oak with rates, reviews, and availability. Most hotels are fully refundable.

Exterior

"Was good"

AED 327 total

includes taxes & fees

11 Jun - 12 Jun

Lobby

"It was quiet and clean! The staff were very polite. We would definitely stay there again."

AED 321 total

includes taxes & fees

8 Jun - 9 Jun

Exterior

"Hotel is a pretty decent place to spend the night. "

AED 376 total

includes taxes & fees

6 Jun - 7 Jun

Exterior

"Staff courteous and competent; great location, room clean and very nice"

AED 319 total

includes taxes & fees

9 Jun - 10 Jun

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