Orchard Hill: Newtown’s

Secret Retreat For Nature Lovers

By Steve Bigham

Nestled between Huntingtown and Orchard Hill roads on a 25-acre tract of land lies the town-owned Orchard Hill Nature Preserve – considered to be one of the best-kept secrets in Newtown.

The peaceful, undeveloped park offers residents a natural habitat to explore. Its diverse landscape features woodlands, open fields, dense thickets, and swamps along with the sounds of the Pootatuck River’s cascading waters. It is home to a variety of ferns, a thick grove of mosses, and, according to the Newtown Trails Book, 68 different species of birds. The nature center’s unusual natural and historic features make it a desirable site for passive recreation, hiking, horse back riding, bird watching, and more.

“I like the diversity of it all,” noted Newtown resident Lee Lincoln, who walks the center’s trails regularly. “There’s such a mix of nature in this little spot.”

The town acquired the property for $60,000 in 1976 from the Bridgeport Hydraulic Company and assigned management responsibility to the Parks & Recreation Commission. Parks & Recreation is nearing the completion of a full-color brochure on the park due out later this year.

“It’s one of the most beautiful nature areas that I’ve walked through in Newtown,” noted Parks & Recreation Director Barbara Kasbarian.

The Pootatuck River gives the Orchard Hill Nature Center both its character and history. It was on the river that a massive dam and adjoining sawmill were built during the 1760s. The mill relied on the river for its power as it flowed through the deep Pootatuck gully, which is shaded year round by a natural canopy of evergreen trees.

Early deeds mention that the dam was used for a sawmill, and by 1800, a mill to manufacture woolen stocking yarn. The original dam deteriorated, and by 1867, a second dam was built for a sawmill. Today, it stands little touched since it was breached around 1900. The impressive structure stands 30 feet high, 125 feet in length, and is made out of granite blocks more than four feet wide.

According to town historians, James H. Beers acquired the sawmill in 1867 along with “one turning lathe, two buzz saws, anvil and bellows, grind stone, drill press, lathe, whipsaw, pulleys, waterwheels, and all the fixtures and tolls belonging to a sawmill.” Other leases, according to history, show that the mill was sometimes a carding and grist mill, while one lessee was given the “right of power to grind apples during the season of cidermaking.”

Eventually, electricity arrived on the scene and the mill was abandoned, although some of the foundations are still visible. The Bridgeport Hydraulic Company purchased the land in 1915 as part of a watershed acquisition program.

Newtown boy scouts are credited with making the park what it is today. Prospective Eagle Scouts have created numerous trails, an observation deck, a wetlands boardwalk, and the information shelter. The Newtown Bridle Lands Association (NBLA) recently put down wood chips along the trails.

At one time, the town had considered using the property for both passive and active recreation. Ball fields were even considered. However, several neighbors opposed the thought of building ball fields there and the plan was never carried out.

The Parks & Recreation Commission is seeking help in identifying the different species of plant life and birds living within the nature center. It plans to erect stations along the trails informing hikers of the park’s history as well as the various plants and animals that live there.