Rocky Neck State Park
Encyclopedia
Rocky Neck State Park is a state park
and beach
in East Lyme, Connecticut
. It includes the Rocky Neck Pavilion which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
.
in the town of East Lyme, Connecticut
. The public now enjoys use of the park because of a few conservationists who secured the land in 1931, using their personal funds until the State Legislature authorized its purchase.
In the 1930s, relief agencies constructed the curved masonry building of native materials and crafted supporting pillars with wood cut from each of the state parks and forests. Diverse trails within the park providewalks to the salt marsh and to such points of interest as Baker's Cave, Tony's Nose and Shipyard. Family camping within walking distance of saltwater bathing is also popular, with 160 wooded and open campsites offering vacationers overnight accommodations.
Bounded on the west by a tidal river
and to the east by a broad salt marsh
, Rocky Neck was known to early inhabitants as a place of abundant fish and wildlife. Today, high spring tides allow schools of herring
to swim into Bride Brook toward inland spawning grounds. The osprey
is a frequent early summer visitor. In the fall, cranes
, herons and swan
s wade among cattails and rose mallow
. Seasonal changes provide opportunities to fish for mackerel
, striped bass
, blackfish
, and flounder
. Rocky Neck state park has its own exit (exit 72) on the Connecticut portion of Interstate 95
. This exit is for the Rocky Neck connector, which is designated as the unsigned
Connecticut Special Service Road 449.
s, egret
s, heron
s, osprey
s, and gull
s.
State park
State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the federated state 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 beauty, historic interest, or recreational...
and beach
Beach
A beach is a geological landform along the shoreline of an ocean, sea, lake or river. It usually consists of loose particles which are often composed of rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles or cobblestones...
in East Lyme, Connecticut
East Lyme, Connecticut
East Lyme is a town in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 18,118 at the 2000 census. The latitude of East Lyme is 41.353N...
. It includes the Rocky Neck Pavilion which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
History
Rocky Neck is a 710 acres (2.9 km²) recreation spot located on Long Island SoundLong Island Sound
Long Island Sound is an estuary of the Atlantic Ocean, located in the United States between Connecticut to the north and Long Island, New York to the south. The mouth of the Connecticut River at Old Saybrook, Connecticut, empties into the sound. On its western end the sound is bounded by the Bronx...
in the town of East Lyme, Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
. The public now enjoys use of the park because of a few conservationists who secured the land in 1931, using their personal funds until the State Legislature authorized its purchase.
In the 1930s, relief agencies constructed the curved masonry building of native materials and crafted supporting pillars with wood cut from each of the state parks and forests. Diverse trails within the park providewalks to the salt marsh and to such points of interest as Baker's Cave, Tony's Nose and Shipyard. Family camping within walking distance of saltwater bathing is also popular, with 160 wooded and open campsites offering vacationers overnight accommodations.
Bounded on the west by a tidal river
Tidal river
A tidal river is a river, or more typically a stretch of a river, whose flow and level is influenced by tides. An example of a tidal river is the portion of the Connecticut River flowing from Windsor Locks, Connecticut, to the Atlantic Ocean. The Brisbane River, which flows into the Pacific Ocean...
and to the east by a broad salt marsh
Salt marsh
A salt marsh is an environment in the upper coastal intertidal zone between land and salt water or brackish water, it is dominated by dense stands of halophytic plants such as herbs, grasses, or low shrubs. These plants are terrestrial in origin and are essential to the stability of the salt marsh...
, Rocky Neck was known to early inhabitants as a place of abundant fish and wildlife. Today, high spring tides allow schools of herring
Herring
Herring is an oily fish of the genus Clupea, found in the shallow, temperate waters of the North Pacific and the North Atlantic oceans, including the Baltic Sea. Three species of Clupea are recognized. The main taxa, the Atlantic herring and the Pacific herring may each be divided into subspecies...
to swim into Bride Brook toward inland spawning grounds. The osprey
Osprey
The Osprey , sometimes known as the sea hawk or fish eagle, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey. It is a large raptor, reaching more than in length and across the wings...
is a frequent early summer visitor. In the fall, cranes
Crane (bird)
Cranes are a family, Gruidae, of large, long-legged and long-necked birds in the order Gruiformes. There are fifteen species of crane in four genera. Unlike the similar-looking but unrelated herons, cranes fly with necks outstretched, not pulled back...
, herons and swan
Swan
Swans, genus Cygnus, are birds of the family Anatidae, which also includes geese and ducks. Swans are grouped with the closely related geese in the subfamily Anserinae where they form the tribe Cygnini. Sometimes, they are considered a distinct subfamily, Cygninae...
s wade among cattails and rose mallow
Rose Mallow
Rose Mallow may refer to:*Any plant in the Lavatera genus; specially Lavatera trimestris*Any of several species in the Hibiscus genus, especially Hibiscus moscheutos...
. Seasonal changes provide opportunities to fish for mackerel
Mackerel
Mackerel is a common name applied to a number of different species of fish, mostly, but not exclusively, from the family Scombridae. They may be found in all tropical and temperate seas. Most live offshore in the oceanic environment but a few, like the Spanish mackerel , enter bays and can be...
, striped bass
Striped bass
The striped bass is the state fish of Maryland, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and the state saltwater fish of New York, Virginia, and New Hampshire...
, blackfish
Blackfish
Blackfish may refer to:* Several kinds of fish:** Alaska blackfish, Dallia pectoralis.** Black sea bass, Centropristis striata.** Sacramento blackfish, Orthodon microlepidotus.** Tautog, Tautoga onitis.** Parore, Girella tricuspidata....
, and flounder
Flounder
The flounder is an ocean-dwelling flatfish species that is found in coastal lagoons and estuaries of the Northern Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.-Taxonomy:There are a number of geographical and taxonomical species to which flounder belong.*Western Atlantic...
. Rocky Neck state park has its own exit (exit 72) on the Connecticut portion of Interstate 95
Interstate 95
Interstate 95 is the main highway on the East Coast of the United States, running parallel to the Atlantic Ocean from Maine to Florida and serving some of the most populated urban areas in the country, including Boston, Providence, New Haven, New York City, Newark, Philadelphia, Baltimore,...
. This exit is for the Rocky Neck connector, which is designated as the unsigned
Unsigned highway
An unsigned highway is a highway that has been assigned a route number, but does not bear conventional road markings that would normally be used to identify the route with that number...
Connecticut Special Service Road 449.
Pavilion
The Rocky Neck Pavilion is a Rustic style building from 1934, designed by Russell F. Barker and others. It was built as part of depression-era work relief efforts. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. The listed area includes 6.5 acres (26,304.6 m²).Wildlife
Wildlife in the park include craneCrane (bird)
Cranes are a family, Gruidae, of large, long-legged and long-necked birds in the order Gruiformes. There are fifteen species of crane in four genera. Unlike the similar-looking but unrelated herons, cranes fly with necks outstretched, not pulled back...
s, egret
Egret
An egret is any of several herons, most of which are white or buff, and several of which develop fine plumes during the breeding season. Many egrets are members of the genera Egretta or Ardea which contain other species named as herons rather than egrets...
s, heron
Heron
The herons are long-legged freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae. There are 64 recognised species in this family. Some are called "egrets" or "bitterns" instead of "heron"....
s, osprey
Osprey
The Osprey , sometimes known as the sea hawk or fish eagle, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey. It is a large raptor, reaching more than in length and across the wings...
s, and gull
Gull
Gulls are birds in the family Laridae. They are most closely related to the terns and only distantly related to auks, skimmers, and more distantly to the waders...
s.
See also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in New London County, Connecticut