Rocky Neck State Park is a public recreation area on
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 ...
in the
town
A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world.
Origin and use
The word "town" shares an ori ...
of
East Lyme, Connecticut
East Lyme is a town in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 18,693 at the 2020 census. The villages of Niantic and Flanders are located in the town.
Geography
East Lyme is located in southern New London County, west ...
, United States.
[ The ]state park
State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural ...
's include a tidal river
A tidal river is a river whose flow and level are influenced by tides. A section of a larger river affected by the tides is a tidal reach, but it may sometimes be considered a tidal river if it has been given a separate name.
Generally, tidal ri ...
, a broad salt marsh
A salt marsh or saltmarsh, also known as a coastal salt marsh or a tidal marsh, is a coastal ecosystem in the upper coastal intertidal zone between land and open saltwater or brackish water that is regularly flooded by the tides. It is dominated ...
, white sand beaches, rocky shores, and a large stone pavilion dating from the 1930s.[ It is managed by the ]Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) is a state agency in the US state of Connecticut. The department oversees the state's natural resources and environment and regulates public utilities and energy policy. I ...
.
History
During the 19th century, various fertilizer operations occupied the site.[ 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
The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...
, a 356-foot, timber-and-granite pavilion was constructed by federal relief workers.[
]
Features
;Pavilion
The Ellie Mitchell Pavilion is a Rustic-style building completed in 1936 by the Works Progress Administration
The Works Progress Administration (WPA; renamed in 1939 as the Work Projects Administration) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to carry out public works projects, i ...
. The curved masonry building stands more than long and wide. It is the largest Depression-era
The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The Financial contagion, ...
structure in the state.
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. Supporting pillars were fashioned from trees cut from each of the state parks and forests.[ The pavilion was handed over to the state in October 1936] 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. In 1986, the pavilion and its surrounding were listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[
;Footbridge
The park is crossed by the ]Northeast Corridor
The Northeast Corridor (NEC) is an electrified railroad line in the Northeast megalopolis of the United States. Owned primarily by Amtrak, it runs from Boston through Providence, New Haven, Stamford, New York City, Philadelphia, Wilmington, a ...
, Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...
'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 arched steel bridge has been documented by the Historic American Engineering Record
Heritage Documentation Programs (HDP) is a division of the U.S. National Park Service (NPS) responsible for administering the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS), Historic American Engineering Record (HAER), and Historic American Landscapes ...
, which describes it as "an unusual surviving example of a railroad footbridge."
;Access road
The park has its own exit (exit 72) on the Connecticut portion of Interstate 95
Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, running from U.S. Route 1, US Route 1 (US 1) in Miami, Miami, Florida, to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between M ...
. This exit is for the Rocky Neck connector, which is designated as the unsigned
Unsigned can refer to:
* An unsigned artist is a musical artist or group not attached or signed to a record label
** Unsigned Music Awards, ceremony noting achievements of unsigned artists
** Unsigned band web, online community
* Similarly, the c ...
Connecticut Special Service Road 449.[
]
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.[
]
See also
*
*
References
External links
Rocky Neck State Park
Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
Rocky Neck State Park Map
Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
*
Aerial view ca. 1935
{{authority control
East Lyme, Connecticut
State parks of Connecticut
Long Island Sound
Parks in New London County, Connecticut
Beaches of Connecticut
{{Beaches of the United States
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, ...
Historic American Engineering Record in Connecticut
National Register of Historic Places in New London County, Connecticut
Landforms of New London County, Connecticut
Protected areas established in 1931
1931 establishments in Connecticut
Campgrounds in Connecticut
Nature centers in Connecticut
Event venues on the National Register of Historic Places in Connecticut
Works Progress Administration in Connecticut