Mashamoquet Brook State Forest

About Mashamoquet Brook State Forest

The region was once the domain of the Mohegan Chief Uncas, and the name Mashamock was originally used for the entire area. Indian streams and good for fishing , it was a reference to the rich history of the region as a food and water source for Indians and Indians.

Later Captain John Sabin built a house here that served as an outpost, and the settlement gradually expanded. In 1723, the town was given the name Pomfret (Pontefract) in Yorkshire, England, and the privileges of a community.

The present park area is actually a combination of three parks, but much of it has been in public ownership since the creation of the State Parks and Forestry Commission in 1914, when the Daughters of the American Revolution bought the Wolf's Pit in 1899. The state bought the section from the state in 1924 for half the original price of 1899 and added it to the gift given by former Pomfret resident Sarah Fay.

The Wolf's Pit and its density, each 148 hectares in size, were combined into a 900 hectare park.

The most famous feature is the Wolf Pit, where Israel Putnam shot a wolf one night in 1742 that had been eating sheep and poultry in the region for years. Later, during the Great Revolutionary War, he became a famous general in the Continental Army.

The Indian chair is a wide seat on a ledge, and the cave is surrounded by a cave, with an open-air pool and a small waterfall on the other side.

The dam flooded in 1938 and there is only one watermill left, but the section that now forms the entrance to Mashamoquet Brook State Park is still open to the public.

The mill is open regularly and is supervised by members of the Historical Association, who interpret for interested visitors. The museum is maintained by the Pomfret Historical Society and is open to the public daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.