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Rocky Neck State Park

Coordinates: 41°18′30″N 72°14′34″W / 41.30833°N 72.24278°W / 41.30833; -72.24278
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Rocky Neck State Park
Park west shore view toward Long Island Sound
Map showing the location of Rocky Neck State Park
Map showing the location of Rocky Neck State Park
Location in Connecticut
Map showing the location of Rocky Neck State Park
Map showing the location of Rocky Neck State Park
Rocky Neck State Park (the United States)
LocationEast Lyme, Connecticut, United States
Coordinates41°18′30″N 72°14′34″W / 41.30833°N 72.24278°W / 41.30833; -72.24278[1]
Area708 acres (287 ha)[2]
Elevation10 feet (3.0 m)[1]
DesignationConnecticut state park
Established1931
AdministratorConnecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
WebsiteRocky Neck State Park
Rocky Neck Pavilion
LocationLands End Point,
Rocky Neck State Park,
East Lyme, Connecticut[3]
Area6.5 acres (2.6 ha)
Built1934
Built byFederal Emergency Relief
Administration (FERA), Civilian Works Administration (CWA)
ArchitectBarker, Russell F., et al.
Architectural styleRustic
MPSConnecticut State Park and
Forest Depression-Era
Federal Work Relief
Programs Structures TR
NRHP reference No.86001745
Added to NRHPSeptember 4, 1986

Rocky Neck State Park is a public recreation area on Long Island Sound in the town of East Lyme, Connecticut, United States.[4] The state park's 708 acres (287 ha) include a tidal river, a broad salt marsh, white sand beaches, rocky shores, and a large stone pavilion dating from the 1930s.[5] It is managed by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

History

During the 19th century, various fertilizer operations occupied the site.[6] The park traces its beginnings to 1931, when conservationists purchased the land and held it until the state legislature authorized state purchase. During the Great Depression, a 356-foot, timber-and-granite pavilion was constructed by federal relief workers.[4]

Features

Pavilion

The Ellie Mitchell Pavilion is a Rustic-style building completed in 1936 by the Works Progress Administration. The curved masonry building stands more than 350 feet (110 m) long and 80 feet (24 m) wide.[7] It is the largest Depression-era structure in the state.[8]

Construction began in the early 1930s as part of an effort to ease crowding at Hammonasset State Park. Much of its timber and granite were drawn from local suppliers and quarries and from an abandoned fish fertilizer plant on the grounds.[7] Supporting pillars were fashioned from trees cut from each of the state parks and forests.[4] The pavilion was handed over to the state in October 1936[9] and opened as the Ellie Mitchell Pavilion. Visitors could purchase food, eat in the dining areas, and warm themselves by eight fireplaces during cooler months.[7] In 1986, the pavilion and its surrounding 6.5 acres (2.6 ha) were listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[10]

Footbridge

The park is crossed by the Northeast Corridor, Amtrak's main line from New York to Boston, on a right-of-way first chartered in 1848 by the New Haven and New London Railroad. A 1934 footbridge carries pedestrians over the tracks between the pavilion and its parking lot. The 36-foot (11 m) arched steel bridge has been documented by the Historic American Engineering Record, which describes it as "an unusual surviving example of a railroad footbridge."[8]

Access road

The park has its own exit (exit 72) on the Connecticut portion of Interstate 95. This exit is for the Rocky Neck connector, which is designated as the unsigned Connecticut Special Service Road 449.[11]

Activities and amenities

The park offers picnicking, saltwater fishing, saltwater swimming, a campground with 160 sites, and interpretive programs. Hiking trails lead to a salt marsh, Baker's Cave, Tony's Nose, Shipyard, and other points of interest.[4]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Rocky Neck State Park". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  2. ^ "Appendix A: List of State Parks and Forests" (PDF). State Parks and Forests: Funding. Staff Findings and Recommendations. Connecticut General Assembly. January 23, 2014. p. A-1. Retrieved December 18, 2015.
  3. ^ "Rocky Neck Pavilion". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  4. ^ a b c d "Rocky Neck State Park". State Parks and Forests. Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. August 28, 2017. Retrieved September 15, 2017.
  5. ^ "Shoreline: Rocky Neck State Park, East Lyme". Connecticut Office of Culture & Tourism. Retrieved April 14, 2014.
  6. ^ "Local Landmarks: Rocky Neck State Park". East Lyme Historical Society. Retrieved April 14, 2014.
  7. ^ a b c "Abundant wildlife drives the history of Rocky Neck State Park". ConnecticutHistory.org. Connecticut Humanities. Retrieved October 7, 2013.
  8. ^ a b Adams, Virginia H.; Kierstaad, Matthew A. "Rocky Neck Park Trail Bridge" (PDF). Historic American Engineering Record. Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress. Retrieved January 27, 2015.
  9. ^ "Connecticut State Parks". Hartford Courant. Retrieved October 7, 2013.
  10. ^ Mary E. McCahon, Connecticut Historical Commission (June 1985). "Historic Resources Inventory: Rocky Neck Pavilion". National Park Service. and accompanying photo from 1985
  11. ^ "Secret Route List". Connecticut Roads. Kurumi. Retrieved June 9, 2011.
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