Hopeville Pond State Park

About Hopeville Pond State Park

Visitors can swim and fish on the quiet shores of Hopeville Pond, and the grounds, which once housed several successful mills, offer picturesque views of the Great Lakes and a variety of wildlife.

Visitors can fish, swim, hike, cycle, canoe, kayak and hike along the tranquil shores of Hopevilles Pond.

The Pachaug River was an important fishing area for the Mohegan people, and at low tide the stone walls erected by the Indians are still visible. The weir leads to an area where Indians place baskets to catch eels, shad and other fish in traps. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Quinebaug's river floated in large numbers, but the dam built near Greenville in 1828 became clogged and the river flooded.

In 1711, surveyor Stephen Gates received a land grant in what is now State Park to build a mill. The mill itself was the first pillar of the municipality in this pioneering period, and saw and grain mills were built to meet all the needs of the inhabitants.

In 1818 Eliza Abel acquired the privileges of the mill, built a wool mill on the site and acquired the privileges of the mill, and the new mill was called Hope's Mill. Later John Slater bought the wool - mill, sawmill and spinning mill - and built the satin mill from local granite. Hopeville is the name of Hope, one of the most popular names in the state of New York for the city of Hope.

By the 1860s, the village of Hopeville had reached its peak due to the huge demand for wool, and at the turn of the century the church and four houses in the village were burnt down. In addition, the mill, which had been in operation since 1711, also went up in flames in 1908. The mill was owned by the Edwin Lanthrop Company at the time and flourished until 1881, when it was destroyed by a fire that could never be rebuilt.

The site's suitability for recreational activities was recognized in the 1930s, when the federal government purchased substantial acreage in East Connecticut. Most of the state-acquired land now includes part of a nearby state forest in Pachaug, and the land has been administered by the Civil Defense. Much of the CCC's work is still visible today, especially in Hopeville Pond State Park, but much of it is no longer visible due to the construction of new roads and bridges.

Hopeville Pond Campground offers over 80 camping spots in the wooded area, and the camping season starts in mid-April and ends in late May or early June, except during the summer months.

Take Exit 86 North to Exit 86, turn left at Exit South and turn right into the Hopeville Pond State Park parking lot. Turn south at the left exit, then left onto the main park road and then right onto Interstate 95.

The entrance to the park is located at the entrance to the Hopeville Pond State Park parking lot on the north side of Interstate 95 at Exit 86.