Page 6 - North Haven Magazine Issue 33 Spring 2024

R
by Susan A. Iverson
Q QUINNIPIAC RIVER
C
UINNIPIA
IVER
T
TE P
S A ARK
STATE PARK

hen we lived on Upper State Street, Parkway. The house foundations we saw
Wwe would sometimes take a walk there were indeed the remnants of an aban-
over to Banton Street, a short road leading doned riverside community – it grew up in
to a rest stop on the Wilbur Cross Parkway. the 1920s as a summer retreat, eventually
Just beyond the rest stop, we would come becoming a cluster of year-round homes.
to what appeared to be a deserted neigh- The building of the highway and further
borhood. We did not know the history of development led to increased flooding in
this area at the time, but we were fascinat- the area. I have heard stories from former
ed by what we found as we walked past the residents that children would have to be
barrier at the end of the street. We would rowed by boat to their school buses during
continue to a paved road overgrown with flood times! By the mid-seventies, the state
vegetation, a place long since abandoned had bought the homes, relocated the resi-
by vehicles. As we followed this road, we dents and removed the buildings, leaving
found the remains of buildings - homes only traces of their existence behind. The
from the clues left - bits of fencing, li- land remains in the possession of the State
lacs, daffodils and even roses deliberate- of Connecticut and continues to be desig-
ly placed in a long-forgotten garden. The nated as a state park.
Quinnipiac River flowed nearby, with nu-
merous areas on its banks where an angler
or swimmer could access its waters. One
could imagine that the former occupants
must have enjoyed this secluded spot. As
we ventured further, the paved road ended
and faint trails could be walked, but we sel- Photo by Ann Clark for the Historical Society archives
dom followed them – the shrubs and trees
grew densely here and our little ones had to maintain the trail running through the
difficulty walking through the thickets. park, from Banton Street to the Pine Stand.
We would return the way we entered, oc- On their website, they encourage people to
casionally spotting a bird or small rodent visit in the spring or fall when the area is
as we trudged along. These walks were cer- not wet. They note that some of the ves-
tainly pleasant outings, forgotten for many tiges of the old riverside community can
years, until now. still be seen and that the flowers planted
long ago still bloom. And of course, there
is the Quinnipiac River coursing through
the area – a sight to see.
Photo by Ann Clark for the Historical Society archives
Quinnipiac River State Park is not unsuit-
While searching for more information on able for visiting; we simply need to view
this relatively unknown park, I discov- it as an open space that is renewing itself
ered that hikers do not enjoy following without consideration of our need to bend
the trail there. Even though I found the it to our wishes. If you do plan an outing
place intriguing to visit many years ago, there, dress appropriately and especially
today’s hikers do not have the same opin- in spring, plan for squishy ground. Hav-
ion. Though I have not visited in at least 20 ing said that, I think a walk through the
years and do not usually venture beyond Quinnipiac River State Park might just be
Photo by Ann Clark for the Historical Society archives the first half mile or so of the trail, I could a good thing to do later this spring!
Years of volunteering at the North Haven not understand why hikers do not utilize
Historical Society have taught me many this park. I reached out to a volunteer fa- Many thanks to Chris McLaughlin for
things about earlier North Haven, includ- miliar with the park, Chris McLaughlin, sharing his knowledge of the park and its
ing the history of this neighborhood. I and he explained that the area floods so of- characteristics and to Steve Fontana and
learned, for example, that the area we used ten and so unpredictably that maintenance Don Rocklin of the North Haven Trail As-
to explore was part of the Quinnipiac River of a hiking trail is extremely difficult. In sociation for providing important details
State Park, a narrow strip of land running fact, the CT Forest and Parks Association about the park.
alongside the Quinnipiac River between discontinued their sponsorship of that por-
Banton Street and Toelles Road. The park tion of the Blue Trail because its manage- Photographs are courtesy of the North
was established in 1948, with land remain- ment was unsustainable. The North Haven Haven Historical Society archives.
ing after the building of the Wilbur Cross Trail Association now has an agreement

6 North Haven Magazine - Spring Issue 2024