Rowayton, Connecticut
Encyclopedia
Norwalk, Connecticut
Norwalk is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of the city is 85,603, making Norwalk sixth in population in Connecticut, and third in Fairfield County...
, 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...
. Located on the Long Island Sound
Long 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...
just 45 miles from New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, Rowayton is a coastal New England village. According to Forbes magazine, the 2007 median home sale price was $1,300,000.
The community is governed by the Sixth Taxing District of Norwalk, and has a number of active local associations, including the Civic Association, the Historical Society, the Rowayton Library, a Gardeners Club, and a Parents Exchange. Rowayton annually plays host to a Shakespearean production at Pinkney Park, produced by Shakespeare on the Sound, and also has an active community of artists, many of whom are associated with the Rowayton Arts Center.
The Rowayton station
Rowayton (Metro-North station)
The Rowayton Metro-North Railroad station is one of three New Haven Line stations serving the residents of Norwalk, Connecticut. It is located in the neighborhood of Rowayton, from which it derives its name....
on the New Haven line of the Metro-North Railroad
Metro-North Railroad
The Metro-North Commuter Railroad , trading as MTA Metro-North Railroad, or, more commonly, Metro-North, is a suburban commuter rail service that is run and managed by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority , an authority of New York State. It is the busiest commuter railroad in the United...
is located in the community, as is an elementary school called Rowayton Elementary. This school is for grades kindergarten through fifth.
The former Rock Ledge estate at 33 and 40-42 Highland Ave. was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. In 1910, James A. Farrell, later president of the United States Steel Corporation, built a Tudor revival mansion, which burned down in 1913 and was rebuilt in granite. The estate was later bought by the Sperry Rand Corporation. Since 1966, the Farrell family stables have been converted to the Rowayton Community Center and the Rowayton Library.
Coastline
The Rowayton coastline has been a source of inspiration for centuries. John Frederick KensettJohn Frederick Kensett
John Frederick Kensett was an American artist and engraver. He attended school at Cheshire Academy, and studied engraving with his immigrant father, Thomas Kensett, and later with his uncle, Alfred Dagget...
, a famous nineteenth-century landscape painter of the Hudson School, frequently painted this seascape in his later life. This tradition has been carried on in an active local arts scene.
Rowayton is home to a host of beaches. Three of them—Roton Point, Bayley Beach, and a coastal enclave of Wee Burn Country Club—share a common history. In the early days of the 20th century, the properties of all three made up the Roton Point Amusement Park. A boat landing attached to Sunset Rock, just to the West of Belle Island, allowed steamers to bring daytrippers from New York City to the park. A trolley ran from both Darien and Norwalk, arriving at the Park via Highland Avenue and over present-day Langdon Preserve, located across Farm Creek. At the Amusement Park, amenities included a bath house, a picnic grove, and rides ranging from the classic carousel to roller coasters with stunning views of the beach.
Arthur J. Ladrigan Swim Race
Since 1935, swimmers have competed annually in a one-mile race from the Greens Ledge LightGreens Ledge Light
Greens Ledge Lighthouse is a sparkplug lighthouse in Connecticut,United States, off the southwest end of the Norwalk Islands, Long Island Sound, near Norwalk, Connecticut...
house to Bayley Beach in Rowayton. On September 9, 2006, 300 people (including twenty-five swimmers) showed up to watch or partake in the community event run by the Rowayton Community Association. Ladrigan was a longtime Rowayton resident and lifeguard. Along with the Ladrigan race, other races are held on the same day, including a quarter-mile competition between the Red Nun buoy and the beach, as well as several races for children in shallow waters. Other events on the same day include a pie-eating contest, egg toss, tug-of-war competition and greased watermelon race. In 2006, Glenn Houck won the race for the third time in a row. His time was clocked at 18:57. "You aim toward the [Five Mile] River and not the beach, because otherwise the current kills you," he said.
Notable People, Past and Present
- Philip CaputoPhilip CaputoPhilip Caputo is an American author and journalist. He is best-known for A Rumor of War, a best-selling memoir of his experiences during the Vietnam War....
, author whose best-known work is A Rumor of WarA Rumor of WarA Rumor of War is a 1977 autobiography/ war memoir by Philip Caputo about his service in the United States Marine Corps in the early years of American involvement in the Vietnam War.-Summary:...
(1977)
- John Frederick KensettJohn Frederick KensettJohn Frederick Kensett was an American artist and engraver. He attended school at Cheshire Academy, and studied engraving with his immigrant father, Thomas Kensett, and later with his uncle, Alfred Dagget...
, nineteenth-century artist - Andy Rooney, television commentator
- Emily RooneyEmily RooneyEmily Rooney is an American journalist, TV talk show and radio host and former news producer. Since 1997, Rooney has been the host, executive editor and creator of Greater Boston and the weekly Beat the Press on WGBH-TV, which are also later rebroadcast on the Boston-based WGBH radio station...
, TV producer, journalist, and host - Treat WilliamsTreat WilliamsRichard Treat Williams is a Screen Actors Guild Award–nominated American actor and children's book author who has appeared on film, stage and television...
, actor - Stefan SchnabelStefan SchnabelStefan Schnabel was an actor best remembered for having portrayed Dr. Stephen Jackson for sixteen years on the CBS soap opera The Guiding Light, on which he appeared from 1965 to 1981...
, Broadway and movie actor