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Listed from North to South.

HISTORIC LANDMARKS

Thomas Hawley House

Location: 514 Purdy Hill Road

Proximity to PRT: Near Wolfe Park and Housatonic Railway section

 

The house is a well-preserved, pre-Revolutionary saltbox dwelling; c. 1755. It was the home of Thomas Hawley, the grandson of Joseph Hawley, one of the original settlers of Stratford and who purchased most of the present Town of Monroe from the Paugusset Indians in 1671.

 

Old Mine Park Archologic Site

Location: 255 Whitney Avenue

Proximity to PRT: Pequonnock Valley section

 

The American Tungsten Mining and Milling Company mined tungsten at the site from 1897 to about 1902 and built a dry processing mill to separate tungsten from its component ore. The operation is considered the first location where tungsten was mined in North America. Because the yield was low and it was difficult to separate tungsten from pyrite, the mine ceased operations in 1902. The processing mill laid idle until 1916 when it was destroyed by fire. The Town acquired the property in 1937 and converted it into a public park. Today, the park features hiking trails to the old mines, an open multi-purpose field, two pavilions and picnic areas. Access to the mines is prohibited.

 

Kaatz Icehouse

Location: 255 Whitney Avenue

Proximity to PRT: Pequonnock Valley section


Located next to a small pond, the icehouse was built in the 1800s and used to store ice harvested from the adjacent pond. Before refrigeration, large blocks of ice were cut in winter and stored in the icehouse for distribution during the warmer months. The Kaatz family continued to operate the icehouse until 1955 and the Town acquired the property in 1969. However, because of severe deterioration, a decision was made to demolish the structure in 1978, despite the fact that it was the last remaining icehouse in New England.

 

Beardsley Park

Location: 1875 Noble Avenue

Proximity to PRT: Passes through the park

 

Beardsley Park is the third oldest park in Bridgeport. It was created in 1878, when James W. Beardsley donated more than 100 acres land along the Pequonnock River. Landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted (ca. 1881) was hired by the City to create a “pastoral” park, using the existing contours of land, naturalistic plantings, a “rustic” arrangement of boulders, curving roadways and few intrusions and is an example of Olmsted’s large country parks designed to serve a variety of recreational activities for the entire city. A dam was constructed at the south end of the park to impound the Pequonnock River and create Bunnells Pond, a 33 acre city reservoir. The Barnum and Bailey circus used Bridgeport as its winter quarters and animals were exercised in the park. This led the City to establish a zoo in the park in the 1920s.

 

East Bridgeport & Pembroke Historic Districts

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East Bridgeport Historic District

The East Bridgeport Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. The East Bridgeport Historic District is situated on the last bank of the Pequonnock River opposite the northerly part of the central business district. It comprises a 260-building Victorian planned residential and industrial community on twenty-five city blocks surrounding a central square, Washington Park. 

 

Pembroke Historic District

Pembroke City Historic District, partly contained in East Bridgeport National Register Historic District, is situated on the east bank of the Pequonnock River, opposite of the northerly part of the central business district. It comprises of a Victorian planned residential and industrial community surrounding a central square, Washington Park.

 

East Bridgeport was laid out in 1851 on what had been vacant farm-land across the river from Bridgeport. Its promoters were P.T. Barnum and William H. Noble, a lawyer whose family owned much of the land. The Victorian enclosure of Washington Park remains basically intact, although the removal of towers, monitors, decorative wood trim and landscaping have compromised its integrity somewhat. The side streets that relate to the park have kept their original ambiance in varying degrees, but all retain a strong nineteenth century flavor.

 

More than any other Victorian neighborhood in Bridgeport, East Bridgeport bears the marks of being a planned community. Located away from the mainstream of business expansion, its original design has never suffered major changes, and private restoration activity which is already underway promises to make the area again a model of nineteenth century urban design.

MONROE HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Incorporated in 1959, the society seeks to "preserve our heritage and the spirit of a people." The organization provides educational, cultural and social events, which encourage an insight into our history.

 

An important part of the Society is to preserve and maintain the Society properties comprised of the East Village Meeting House on Barn Hill Road, the 1790 East Village-Barn Hill Schoolhouse on Wheeler Road, and our current restoration project and future museum, the Beardsley Homestead at 31 Great Ring Road.

 

MonroeHistoricalSociety.org

 

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TRUMBULL HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Founded in 1964, the Society strives to teach, preserve, and educate those interested in the history of Trumbull. The museum stands at 1856 Huntington Turnpike on the site of the first settlement in Trumbull by Abraham Nichols.

 

The Museum is located about a quarter mile from the trail.

 

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HISTORIC DISTRICTS in BRIDGEPORT

There are two designated historic districts located near the trail: The East Bridgeport Historic District and The Pembroke Historic District.

 

HistoricDistrictsCT.org - Pembroke