At the end of August, the Land Trust acquired 20 acres from Connecticut Water with funds generously donated to the Land Trust by the Zdru Family Fund. Located at 1154 Amity Road at the Naugatuck border, this parcel includes land in Bethany, Naugatuck and Prospect.
The Beacon Hill Brook, a Class III Trout stream, runs through the lowlands portion of the property near Amity Road while the uplands portion rises almost 300 feet higher, featuring steep escarpments on both sides of a spectacular ravine. Built as an Eagle Scout project by Ryan Hendrick of Bethany, a hiking trail loop leaves the trailhead along Route 63, crosses Beacon Hill Brook and climbs over a ridge to the bottom of the ravine. From there, it heads back to the brook past some foundations of what may have been a mill site long ago. The trail is about 0.5 mile in length, includes a short section of boardwalk, and is marked with yellow blazes.
Climbing up the steep ravine off trail will bring you to the location of a long gone chestnut tree with three trunks that served as a reference point for Native Americans, and later the colonies. The tree was known as both the Three Sisters Tree and the Three Brothers Tree. In 1673, the New Haven Colony and the Milford Colony disputed the boundary and agreed to settle the dispute through physical combat, which apparently ended in a draw. Today, the site of that tree marks the boundary between Bethany, Naugatuck and Prospect.
Carol Lambiase, President of the Land Trust, said, “With a Class III trout stream, striking geology, and historic significance to Native Americans, we are very grateful to the Zdru Family Fund to be given the opportunity to preserve this remarkable property.”
