Spotted: Reverend Samuel Stone

Samuel Stone, one senses, is used to being overlooked. The assistant to city founder Thomas Hooker, Stone is the reason Hartford is Hartford: he was born in Hertford, England in 1602 and when it came time to change Sukiaug to something a little more respectable, Stone's hometown got the honor. But while Hooker was lucky enough to have, ahead of his time and through no fault of his own, a name that contemporary people find fun to apply to parades and beer, Samuel Stone is relatively forgettable.

This statue of Stone stands in front of the First Church of Christ and Ancient Burying Ground (where both he and Hooker were laid to rest.) It's easy to pass by countless times and not quite see him there, set back from the road in a nicely landscaped but not particularly attention-grabbing bit of churchyard.

Stone, pointing in the general direction of I-91 and looking very much like a "caption this" contest, is dressed in standard Puritan clothes. On a summer's day, his hat, boots, and voluminous coat look uncomfortably heavy. He could be anyone in early New England history; one has to look at the statue's base to discover that this not just some random guy, like Puritan #4 from a Thanksgiving play, but actually Hartford's own Puritan #2.