2023 Collectible Holiday Ornament

Announcing the new limited edition West Hartford Collectible 2023 Holiday Ornament!

Our annual limited edition glass ornaments feature iconic scenes of West Hartford. The 2023 ornament depicts the beloved summer house in the heart of Elizabeth Park. Quantities are limited so add this stunning 2023 ornament to your collection while supplies last!

Each ornament comes with a silver ribbon and is attractively packaged. On the back of the package, you will find the history of the building:

This commemorative ornament depicts the beautiful gazebo located in the Helen S. Kaman Rose Garden in Elizabeth Park. This city park covers 102 acres located both in Hartford and West Hartford, Connecticut. The land was previously owned by financier Charles M. Pond of the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroads, Hartford National Bank, and former treasurer of Connecticut. In 1894 he bequeathed his estate to the City of Hartford with the stipulation that it be named for his deceased wife, Elizabeth. The city took possession in 1897 and engaged the famed Olmsted and Son to design the landscape. The park has many gardens, sweeping vistas, notable trees, and greenhouses. Opening in 1904, the rose garden was the first public rose garden in the country and is on the national register of historic places. Today it is the third largest rose garden in the country and is located in the heart of the park.

The original main garden, the “square,” is an acre in size and has 132 rose beds. The North and South gardens, which are semi-circular sections, were added later to make up a total of 2.5 acres of roses, 475 beds, and eight grass pathways. There are over 15,000 rose bushes and 800 varieties of old and new roses in the garden.  The gazebo, or Rustic Summer House, was built in 1904 and is covered in Virginia creeper. The Rose Garden, the gazebo, and the arches in the Park are probably the most photographed and painted subjects in the Park, and are a recognized symbol of Hartford.

The proceeds from the purchase of this ornament supports the Noah Webster House and West Hartford Historical Society, which serves as a repository for the history of West Hartford, Connecticut. Our mission is to preserve, interpret, and champion Noah Webster’s legacy and birthplace, as well as the history of West Hartford, the town that nurtured him.