The Massacoe Forest Pavilion, also known as the Stratton Brook Park Pavilion, is a historic outdoor pavilion located in

Stratton Brook State Park Stratton Brook State Park is a public recreation area located in the town of Simsbury, Connecticut. Among its notable features is the Massaco Forest Pavilion, built by the Civilian Conservation Corps The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was ...

Simsbury, Connecticut Simsbury is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 24,517 at the 2020 census. The town was incorporated as Connecticut's 21st town in May 1670. History Early history At the beginning of the 17th century, the ...

. It was built in 1935 by the

Civilian Conservation Corps The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a voluntary government work relief program that ran from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men ages 18–25 and eventually expanded to ages 17–28. The CCC was a major part of ...

(CCC), and is a well-preserved example of the Corps' work. 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 1986.

Description and history

is located in central Simsbury, on the south side of Farms Village Road (

Connecticut Route 309 Route 309 is a Connecticut state highway in the northwestern Hartford suburbs running from Canton to Simsbury Simsbury is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 24,517 at the 2020 census. The town was inco ...

). Its access drive leads to a parking area, with a beach and pond to its east and an open grassy area in between. At the southern end of the grassy area a paved path crosses a

covered bridge A covered bridge is a timber-truss bridge with a roof, decking, and siding, which in most covered bridges create an almost complete enclosure. The purpose of the covering is to protect the wooden structural members from the weather. Uncovered woo ...

leading to the picnic pavilion, which is set overlooking a second pond. The structure is built out of timber framing, and measures about . At one end is a large fieldstone chimney with sloping shoulders and a builtin bench. The structure is covered by a roof supported by heavy wooden trusses with rounded rafter ends. The floor of the shelter is flagstone. The shelter was built in 1935 by the

(CCC) and is one of many CCC structures recognized in a Connecticut-wide thematic resources study. It was built beside Massacoe Pond, created by a dam built by the CCC in 1933. That dam was later replaced by the present concrete dam. At the time of their construction, the area was part of

Massacoe State Forest Massacoe State Forest is a Connecticut state forest located in the town of Simsbury. The forest comprises two noncontiguous sections: the Great Pond Block, which encompasses Great Pond, and the Massacoe Block, which lies next to Stratton Brook S ...

, founded in 1908 with land donated by a local conservationist; Stratton Brook State Park was established in 1949. and

References

{{National Register of Historic Places National Register of Historic Places in Hartford County, Connecticut Buildings and structures completed in 1935 Rustic architecture in Connecticut Buildings and structures in Hartford County, Connecticut Civilian Conservation Corps in Connecticut Picnic shelters

Description and history

See also

References