History of the Development of State Parks in Connecticut Prior to 1930

Сonnecticut is home to a number of Parks within the country. However, different Parks have their own roots and historical significances. On the other hand, there are certain common features that bring together all these parks at least during their foundation stage. This happened to be between the years 1900 to the year 1930.

History

One of the most prominent and well known parks in Connecticut is the Putnam Memorial Park. This is because it is also the oldest Park in the State. Its creation began as far back as the late nineteenth century and into the early twentieth Century. At that that time, there were some key personalities that were useful in the creation of this historical treasure. Efforts started with some of the local citizens of this state and some of them included -Aaron Treadwell -Charles Todd This town was an important reserve because it is said that some of the encampment that represent the actions of Army officers there are still in existence until today. (Grasso, 1999) It was found that there were around forty five heaps of stones that were placed in parallel rows stretching ten yards wide and five hundred feet long. Consequently, they asserted that Putnam hosted some of the largest brigades in the State of Connecticut. In this regard, the town of Redding would therefore be a suitable place to include these kinds of issues for consideration.The legislature made a resolution to approve the recommendations made by the committee on the matter and then decided to pursue these lines. It should be noted that the purchase of that land for recreation was a new concept because of the fact that it was initially assumed that most of it would be used for the purpose of preserving the winter quarters on that area. In fact, the plan was brought forward to the legislative committee so as to ensure that they actually understood what the rationale behind the creation of the Park was. In defense of this park, the latter group claimed that they were not doing it for pleasure, instead, they claim that their overall driving force was to build a memorial that would remember and preserve the history of a number of persons that were heroes of their land. They claimed that although these men were rather rugged and very simple, their contribution to the state of Connecticut could not be ignored. The latter monument was a direct result of the lobbying done by interest groups that had put forward suggestions to erect it. On top of the latter, there was the creation of a plan was instrumental in the process of showing the encampment and the features that were important in this historical event. The following were some of the things that were identified in the plan; * Old roads made by Putnam soldiers * A single hut * Chimney remains * Quarters for camp guards * Officers quarters * Monument The governor was very instrumental in the supervision process of the Camp because of the fact that his presence was significant in identifying some deficiencies in the Park. For instance, he claimed that there was a need to include some of the winter camp areas that had not been included in the land that had been officially donated. In this regard, he was important in supervising this purchase. On top of the latter, this governor also ensured that there were adequate levels of land that were instrumental in making the whole concept of the soldiers' commemoration complete. In line with these thoughts was the fact that a number of donations were necessary so as achieve the goals and aspirations of the supervising committee and they included; -Bartam Isaac -Bartam Helen (Grasso, 1999) Between the years 1903 and 1915, the board that had been assigned with the creation of this park was required to engage in heavy duty work. They did this through the creation of a report to be written after a period of every two year. The latter committee had been appointed by the Connecticut General Assembly. Most of these reports were instrumental in the creation of the park and this was why they were preserved by the State. However, one particular report that was done for a period of fifteen months was the 1902 was the September thirtieth. Some of the contents that were contained in this report included; * Lists of commissioners * Expenditures * Actions enacted by legislatures * Findings from previous reports There are also a number of invaluable data that were instrumental in the process of creating such a park. For instance, when the Putnam Memorial Commission was meeting, they had recorded some of the minutes related to the construction of the Park. Besides this, it was also particularly interesting to note that there were some books and articles that revealed what had gone on in the construction process. An example of such an approach were other minutes recording meetings that had taken part between in 1923 on October eighteenth, in 1921 on July 7th, 1917 on June 6th and 1909 on 26th August. During the survey, the commission also worked on some of the available maps and plans that were instrumental in directing the entire process. Consequently, the overall nature of this commission was that they had the ability to correct mistakes made earlier. Most of these statistics were found in the State Department of Environmental Protection. On would wonder what took the attention of most of these supervisors as the work that they were engaging in may seem like a relatively easy one. However, statistics show that erection of the monument was one of the most important activities. This was then followed by the creation of other features that included bridges. Roads and park entrances were also some of the most important issues that took up their time. It should be noted that there were in fact high levels of security that the commission had to instate during the construction process. During the creation of the park, it was important to first clear any under bush that could be found in the chosen location. Besides that, it was also very important to eliminate some of the under bush that had long been associated with other locations around it. It was crucial to clear some of the rock that was found in the site for the park construction. The walks to be found within the park, the building drives, grounds and log barks also had to be maintained under strict conditions. It should be noted that most of the timber found in this area had to be cleared so as to create room for the enactment of certain forms of regards. This also meant that the group had to eliminate stumps that were located in this area. (Allen, 1994) Because some of these changes would alter the special features of the park, it was important to seek guidance from the supervisory group. This commission decided to vote on the issue and settled on making the clearances. The reason why this matter was particularly difficult to enact was that there was the danger of eliminating some of the former beauty of the place under consideration. An avenue known as the Putnam Avenue was created so as to maintain the kind of issues that were needed in the restoration of some of this beauty. There was also need to create ways, side avenues and paths that would then lead to the park. This was also backed up by the building that was necessary in the process. (Wills, 1995) It should also be noted that there were considerable changes that were made in regard to the need to restore some of the features of the park by instating new landscape changes. In other words, archeologists have found that there was a lot of interference caused by these groups and they included; * Elimination of fire backs * Removal o trees and stumps * Land grading * Landscaping Reconstructions therefore ended up destroying some of the originality of the place under consideration. It should also be noted that there were very little things that could actually be labeled as original in present day. The museum that can be found in this particular park replicates some of the original things that reflected the Revolutionary period. These facts were proved by some of the assertion made with regard to the superintendent who was working in the park known as the Thomas Delaney.

The Huntington State Park

The latter area was under agricultural use by the Luttgen Family. In the late 1800s, the land under which this Park had been built was purchased. At that time, the latter family put a lot of time and effort into the construction of ponds, rods and even trails that were synonymous with this park in present day.In the late nineteen twenties and nineteen thirties, the latter family members contributed towards the uniqueness and beauty of this park as people have come to identify it today. First of all, Lady Anna Huntington was a renowned sculptor whose pieces were known throughout the world. Examples of some of the pieces that she has done included -Joan of Ark -Cid Campeador -Heroic Statue of Israel Putnam The latter artist is well known for her creation of bears and wolves that were synonymous with the entrance to this particular park. The latter family was instrumental for preserving other features of the park that came to be appreciated after their death. This was because that was when the park was now open to the public. Source: Seelsky, H. (1990): War and society in Colonial Connecticut; Yale University Press It should be noted that some of these natural beauty would not have been possible without the efforts of the founders of this respective building.

The Gillette Castles

The latter castles are one of the most captivating and scenic places in Connecticut. These castles are arranged in such a manner that they reflect beads on a necklace. Besides that, they also symbolize some of the most feasible methods used in treatment of this matter. Besides this, the castles also embrace some the hills that make that part of Connecticut what it is today. Its roots can also be traced as far back as the nineteenth century. At that time, there was a move towards creation of high rise buildings that could allow for the appreciation of good scenery. In this regard, one should be aware of the kind of issues that were reflected in most of these tools and implementations. A large share of the castles reflects the romantic ideas of the time. In this regard, people were highly interested in interrelating nature and humanity. In other words, roads, trails and tower were all important aspects of this kind of arrangement. The main inspiration for the creation of these castles was to create a scenario in which family could go for a picnic and enjoy the sight of nature at the same time. Most people usually approach this particular area with the hope of seeing the Battle Tower. The latter building was created in the year 1929 following state acquisition of this private property by other individuals. Consequently, the actions of these locals were fundamental in ensuring that such magnificent locations were available. (Bushman, 1967) It can therefore be said that prior to the nineteen thirties, there was a national park movement in the State of Connecticut.

Green movements

Some of the creations that had been synonymous with Connecticut largely reflected the movement towards preservation of natural things in this state. During the early twentieth century, trees had been destroyed though the actions of agriculturalists who needed the land to farm. Besides that, it was also common to find trees being ferried for fuel. Because of all these issues then many people in the state of Connecticut decided to form the forestry movement. The purpose of such an association was to ascertain that forests were preserved and that the people of Connecticut would earn sustainable income from such an endeavor.In subsequent years especially in the nineteen twenties, the country formally began acquiring some spaces that were categorized as green so as to ascertain that the needs of the respective country were met adequately. The best solution was by building parks or memorial sites that would then lead to creation of a scenario in which people feel obliged to obey their respective areas. Additionally, it was necessary to create a situation in which this sort of arrangement could lead to the creation of a venture that would lead to some profit. This was the reason why there was a national parks movement. In line with the latter assertions was the fact that there was the creation of the Civilian Conservation Corps. The latter group was instrumental in the purchase of wilderness lands during the nineteen twenties. However, it should be noted that most of their work was limited to the great depression that occurred within this area. It should also be noted that there were scenarios in which the latter groups took part in some initiatives. For instance, they were responsible for providing person without any jobs in the city with something to do in the rural areas and some of the activities included; * Picnic areas * Pond dams * Roadways All the latter issues were instrumental in the creation of these parks as they are.

Conclusion State parks in Connecticut had their history dating back to the early nineteenth century. Most of them stemmed from the purchase of private land from land owners by the state. Some were created due to movements carried out by environmentalists. However, their work merely began prior to the nineteen thirties - it was during the great depression that they did most of their work. Lastly, the work of locals was also important in pushing for the creation of these parks.

by Michelle Robert

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