The Haystack Mountain Tower is a stone observation tower at the summit of
Haystack Mountain in
Haystack Mountain State Park,
Norfolk, Connecticut
Norfolk () is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 1,588 at the 2020 census. The urban center of the town is the Norfolk census-designated place, with a population of 553 at the 2010 census.
Norfolk is per ...
. Built in 1929, the tower and the land on which it stands were donated by Ellen Battell Stoeckel. The tower provides views of three states and
Long Island Sound
Long Island Sound is a marine sound and tidal estuary of the Atlantic Ocean. It lies predominantly between the U.S. state of Connecticut to the north and Long Island in New York to the south. From west to east, the sound stretches from the Eas ...
. It was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
in 1993.
Description and history
Haystack Mountain State Park is located just north of the village center of Norfolk, with its main access road, Stoeckel Drive, beginning on
Connecticut Route 272
Route 272 is a state highway in northwestern Connecticut running from Torrington to the Massachusetts state-board in Norfolk.
Route description
Route 272 begins at an intersection with Route 4 in West Torrington and heads northwest along the ...
. The 1.3 mile long paved road ends in a small parking lot at the base of summit of Haystack Mountain, where the tower stands. It is in height and in diameter, and is built primarily of dark grey
granite
Granite () is a coarse-grained (phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies undergro ...
that was quarried at the site. The stone is randomly laid, with deeply recessed mortaring. The interior has concrete steps leading upward to two intermediate landings, with a metal stairway leading from the second landing up to a concrete observation platform, which is set under a conical roof. The elevation of the second landing is indicated on the exterior by a stone string course. The observation area has eight openings providing views in all directions. With clear weather, areas in
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
,
, and
Connecticut
Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...
are visible, with views as far south as
Long Island Sound
Long Island Sound is a marine sound and tidal estuary of the Atlantic Ocean. It lies predominantly between the U.S. state of Connecticut to the north and Long Island in New York to the south. From west to east, the sound stretches from the Eas ...
possible.
[ and ]
The tower was designed by
Ehrick K. Rossiter of
Rossiter & Muller
Ehrick Kensett Rossiter (September 14, 1854 – October 14, 1941) was an American architect known for the country homes he designed.[National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...]
in 1993.
[ It cost approximately $50,000 and was donated by Mrs. Ellen Battell Stoeckel, in memory of her husband, Carl Stoeckel.][Citizen Reader, "Haystack Mountain," ''The Hartford Courant'', 1929. Carl Stoeckel was the son of Gustave Stoeckel.] Mrs. Stoeckel's donation also included the initial tracts of land that make up the state park.
See also
* National Register of Historic Places listings in Litchfield County, Connecticut
References
External links
Photo, at Haystack Mountain State Park
{{National Register of Historic Places
Towers completed in 1929
Norfolk, Connecticut
Buildings and structures in Litchfield County, Connecticut
National Register of Historic Places in Litchfield County, Connecticut
Towers in Connecticut