Page 28 - North Haven Magazine Issue 24 Summer 2022

GO
GO
GO
GO
GO Outside
GO
Outside
Outside
Outside
Outside
Outside
and Play!Play!
and
and Play!Play!
and
and
and Play!Play!
by Susan A. Iverson
ack in the ‘50s and ‘60s my siblings and I were shooed out of the house, my mother saying “go outside and play!” If you want to get
Boutside and play, visit our town’s website - you will be amazed at the number of parks and open spaces available to us for a stroll,
picnic, or some fishing. Here are two that I find particularly charming.

Chapman - Sinoway Park Hansen Park
Chapman - Sinoway Park is located on the west side of Upper The North Haven Conservation Commission, founded in 1968, was
State Street. It was named for the two families that were instru- instrumental in obtaining the land now called Hansen Park. This
mental in making the space accessible to the public. The land parcel was once 225 acres in size and farmed by six different fami-
was first farmed by the Tuttle family as far back as the early 1700s. lies before being designated as open space. The first person to own
Part of it was sold to Edward Chapman in 1907 – he purchased the property was Rev. James Pierpont, who established a corn mill
about fifty acres on both sides of Upper State Street. Chapman on the river (Mill River) running through his land. The farm passed
was a truck farmer; that means that he grew vegetables to be through five generations of Pierponts before being sold to Dr. Daniel
trucked into New Haven for sale. The vegetables, as well as some Patten. It was a dairy farm while two generations of Pattens owned
fruit, were grown on the part of the property that is now occupied this property. Three more families briefly owned the parcel before
by the park. This acreage was later bought by the Town from Ed- being purchased by Julius Hansen. The Hansen sons eventually sold
ward’s daughter Edith. Edward’s daughter Ethel continued living the land to the Town of North Haven, also gifting additional land.
in the homestead on the east side of Upper State Street with her The acreage thus came under the protection of the North Haven
husband Alfred Tulk (the painter and graphic artist) and their Conservation Commission and was intended for passive recreational
children. The Chapman home can still be seen there. use only. Since then, some of the riverside acreage has been “rented”
to fishermen, and ninety acres used as a day camp by the Girl Scouts
Mr. and Mrs. Sinoway were Russian emigrants and schoolteach- (Camp Murray). The Boy Scouts have also blazed trails through the
ers in their homeland. Here in the States they ran a dairy farm area, and a small part of the land has more recently been leased to a
on Sackett Point Road before buying the Upper State Street land. local farmer. The goal of passive recreational use has been upheld.
(The Tuttles also sold a parcel of their land to the Prentice Family, The park is kept in its natural state; there are no “amenities” – no vis-
who then sold to the Sinoways in 1918.) The Sinoways used their itor center, snack bar or gift shop - but there are wonderfully tranquil
land next to the Chapman property as pasture. The lovely pond riverside trails and woods full of critters to greet you.
that is the centerpiece of this park was built by the Sinoway fami-
ly; it was stocked with fish and used by them for recreation. They These are just two of the many sites worth visiting; consider spend-
graciously allowed townspeople use of the pond, and later turned ing some time at Pitch Pines Park, Carina Park, John Grover Wy-
the property over to the Town of North Haven. Even now, the De- man Park, and Todd’s Pond. There are also Sleeping Giant, Wharton
partment of Parks and Recreation sponsors a fishing derby here Brook, and Quinnipiac River State Parks. North Haven has so many
in the spring – carrying on the tradition of the Sinoways! Thanks different public spaces; you can access a complete listing and brief
to both the Chapmans and Sinoways, North Haveners have this descriptions of all the properties on our Town’s website:
peaceful refuge to walk, picnic and fish.
https://www.town.north-haven.ct.us/government/town_depart-
ments/departments_(m_-_r)/parks.php

Now - go outside and play!
As always, many thanks to the North Haven Historical Society archives.

North Haven Magazine - Summer Issue 2022
28