Peoples State Forest Nature Museum

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Peoples Forest Museum
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Location Greenwood Rd., Peoples State Forest, Barkhamsted, Connecticut
Coordinates 41°55′31″N72°59′50″W / 41.92528°N 72.99722°W / 41.92528; -72.99722 Coordinates: 41°55′31″N72°59′50″W / 41.92528°N 72.99722°W / 41.92528; -72.99722
Area 6.5 acres (2.6 ha)
Built 1935 (1935)
Built by Civilian Conservation Corps
Architectural style Rustic
MPS Connecticut State Park and Forest Depression-Era Federal Work Relief Programs Structures TR
NRHP reference # 86001737 [1]
Added to NRHP September 4, 1986

The Peoples State Forest Nature Museum is a state-run museum on Greenwood Road in the Peoples State Forest in Barkhamsted, Connecticut. It features displays on forestry, plants and animals native to Connecticut, local history, rocks and minerals, and insects. The museum is open seasonally from Friday through Monday. The rustic style building was constructed in 1935 by the Civilian Conservation Corps [2] and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. [1]

Peoples State Forest

Peoples State Forest is a Connecticut state forest occupying 3,059 acres (1,238 ha) along the West Branch Farmington River opposite American Legion State Forest in the town of Barkhamsted. It is managed for forest products, wildlife habitat, and recreational uses that include hiking, hunting, fishing, and snowmobiling.

Barkhamsted, Connecticut Town in Connecticut, United States

Barkhamsted is a town in Litchfield County in Connecticut and contains seven villages, West Hill, Mallory, Barkhamsted Center, Center Hill, Washington Hill, Pleasant Valley and Riverton. The population was 3,494 at the 2000 census. The town incorporated in 1779. Barkhamsted was named after Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, England.

Forestry economic sector

Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, using, conserving, and repairing forests, woodlands, and associated resources for human and environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands. The science of forestry has elements that belong to the biological, physical, social, political and managerial sciences.

Contents

Building history

The Peoples State Forest Nature Museum is located in the southern part of Peoples State Forest, which is located on the east side of the West Branch Farmington River. The museum is set in a clearing on the west side of Greenwood Road, a forest road providing vehicular access to the forest's interior. It is a single-story structure, built mainly out of rubblestone, with a bellcast gabled roof covered in wooden shingles. The main facade is oriented to the southwest, with large window openings flanking the main entrance. A small stone ell extends to the right, partly sandwiching a rubblestone chimney. The interior of the museum is finished with a bluestone floor, chestnut paneling on the walls, and exposed queenpost truss timber framing with wrought iron strapping for the roof. [3]

Farmington River river in the United States of America

The Farmington River is a river, 46.7 miles (75.2 km) in length along its main stem, which is located in northwest Connecticut with major tributaries extending into southwest Massachusetts. Via its longest branch, the Farmington's length increases to 80.4 miles (129.4 km), making it the Connecticut River's longest tributary by a mere 2.3 miles (3.7 km) over the major river directly to its north, the Westfield River. The Farmington River's watershed covers 609 square miles (1,580 km2). The river historically played an important role in small-scale manufacturing in towns along its course, but it is now mainly used for recreation and drinking water. The Farmington River Watershed Association is a non-profit organization for conservation and preservation of this river.


The museum was built in 1934-35 by a crew of the Civilian Conservation Corps based across the river in American Legion State Forest, and was formally dedicated by Governor Wilbur Cross in 1935. [3] It closed in the early 1950s, and was reopened in 1992 after standing unused for many years. [4]

American Legion State Forest

American Legion State Forest is a Connecticut state forest that sits on the West Branch Farmington River opposite Peoples State Forest in the town of Barkhamsted.

Wilbur Lucius Cross American politician

Wilbur Lucius Cross was an American literary critic who served as the 71st Governor of Connecticut from 1931 to 1939.

See also

National Register of Historic Places listings in Litchfield County, Connecticut Wikimedia list article

This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Litchfield County, Connecticut.

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References

  1. 1 2 National Park Service (2010-07-09). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service.
  2. ↑ "American Legion and Peoples State Forests". CT DEEP. Retrieved 20 May 2016.
  3. 1 2 Mary McCahon (1985). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Peoples State Forest Nature Museum". National Park Service. and Accompanying photos
  4. ↑ "Peoples State Forest Nature Museum". State of Connecticut. Retrieved 2017-02-26.
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