Penwood State Park

 park, estate (manor / mansion land)

This 800 acre park was donated to the State of Connecticut by inventory and industrialist Curtis Veeder. Veeder built an estate on the border of Bloomfield and Simsbury and named it Penwood. Some believe the name is derived from his home state of Pennsylvania, but historic articles claim it was based on the translation of his last name which means "pen" in Holland Dutch.

Veeder planted a mixture of roughly 60,000 pine trees while residing at Penwood. The species including White, Red, Scotch and Austrian. Due to harsh summer, only about half of the pine trees survived. White Pines were planted on the Eastern edge of the property; Red pines on the Southern end, and Scotch in the Northern.

Veeder built a house on the ridge of the mountain overlooking the Farmington Valley. The house was built from trap rock which was blasted on site. The road which meanders through the park was built by Veeder and includes a sewer system which runs through the middle of the road. Today, the roads are still in use.

www.ct.gov/dep/cwp/view.asp?a=2716&q=325248&depNav_GID=...