The Kelo House, also known as the Little Pink House, was built in 1890 in a residential area of New London by John Bishop, a prominent local carpenter. It had various owners after Carpenter’s death in 1893 and few years later was moved to the Fort Trumbull neighborhood of New London. In the late 1980s, the Little Pink House and the house next to it were restored by the preservationist Avner Gregory. On the market for many years, the house was not occupied until Susette Kelo moved there in 1997. When the City of New London sought to use the right of eminent domain to acquire the neighborhood for private development (which would bring in more tax money), it started a legal battle that went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court in 2005!
Although Kelo lost in Kelo vs. City of New London, the public reaction to the abuse of eminent domain laws led to citizen activism and new reform legislation in favor of property owners. Three years after the decision, in 2008, the house was rededicated on a new site on Franklin Street in New London.
The house had been reacquired and moved by Avner Gregory and stands as a monument, with an explanatory plaque out front, to the battle over eminent domain.
For those interested, there is a book about the case, Little Pink House: A True Story of Defiance and Courage, by Jeff Benedict, and also a movie, Little Pink House, available on several streaming services. This is a three-stage virtual geocache. To get credit for the find, you will need to visit the Kelo House and two virtual stages and gather information at each one as follows:
Posted Coordinates: The Kelo House. [N41.21.284 W072.06.119] At the house, take a photo of yourself or your GPS/smartphone showing the coordinates at the bench to the left of the house as you face it. EACH MEMBER OF THE PARTY MUST SUBMIT A SEPARATE PHOTO OR YOUR LOG WILL BE DELETED. No “divide and conquer” permitted!
Virtual Stage 1: The interpretive sign. [N41.21.269/W072.06.092] Just down the street at the corner is an interpretive sign discussing the architecture in the New London historic district. What is the address of the home that exhibits the Second Empire architectural style?
Virtual Stage 2: The original site of the Kelo House. [N41.20.560/W072.05.720] Although the neighborhood was razed, the land was never used and still sits vacant today. Word has it (as of June 2019) that condos will be built here in the near future. What is the number on the utility pole at the coordinates?
To earn your smiley, post the photo taken at the Kelo House with your online log, and submit the answers to Virtual Stages 1 & 2 to the CO.
Once you’re done, you might like to visit nearby Fort Trumbull State Park and take a stroll along the waterfront. Facilities available and dogs welcome! We hope you’ve enjoyed this slice of significant Connecticut history.
A congratulations goes out to steveandrhonda for the FTF.
Virtual Rewards 2.0 - 2019/2020
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between June 4, 2019 and June 4, 2020. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 2.0 on the Geocaching Blog.