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{{Short description|Public recreation area in Connecticut, United States}}
{{Geobox|Protected area
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
⚫ | name = Above All State Park
{{good article}}
⚫ | category = ]
{{Infobox park
| image =
⚫ | name = Above All State Park
| image_caption =
| photo = AboveAllSP2.jpg
| country = {{flag|United States}}
| photo_width = 280
| state = {{flag|Connecticut}}
| photo_alt = Infrastructure
| region_type = County
| photo_caption =
| region = ]
⚫ | map = Connecticut
| district_type = Town
| district = ] | map_caption = Location in Connecticut
| location = | map_width = 280
| relief = 1
| elevation_imperial = 1470
| label = Above All State Park
| elevation_round = 0
| location = ], United States
⚫ | elevation_note = <ref name=gnis>{{cite gnis|205037|Above All State Park}}</ref>
| lat_d = 41 | nearest_city =
| coords = {{coord|41|43|37|N|73|21|10|W|display=inline,title}}
| lat_m = 43
⚫ | coords_ref = <ref name=gnis/>
| lat_s = 36
| area = {{convert|31|acre|abbr=on}}<ref name=pristaff/>
| lat_NS = N
⚫ | elevation = {{convert|1473|ft|m|abbr=on}}<ref name=gnis>{{cite gnis|205036|Above All}}</ref>
| long_d = 73
| long_m = 21 | established = 1927
| long_s = 10 | free_label =
| long_EW = W | free_data =
⚫ | designation = ]
⚫ | coordinates_note = <ref name=gnis/>
⚫ | administrator = ]
| area_unit = acre
| area_imperial = 31 | visitation_num =
| area_round = 0 | visitation_year =
| visitation_ref =
| area_note = <ref name=DEEP/>
| status =
| established_type = Established
| website = {{Official website}}
| established = Unspecied
| embedded =
⚫ | management_body = Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
⚫ | map_locator = Connecticut
| map = Connecticut Locator Map.PNG
| map_caption = Location in Connecticut
| website =
}} }}


'''Above All State Park''' is an undeveloped ] ] located in the ] of ].<ref name=DEEP/> Remnants of a ] defense installation, including an abandoned cinder block bunker and concrete launchpad for ] ] ], may be seen on the grounds.<ref name=green/> ] '''Above All State Park''' is an undeveloped public recreation area located in the ] of ], ].<ref name=DEEP/> Remnants of a ] military ] installation (pictured at right) may be seen.<ref name=cttourism/> The only park amenities are informal trails not maintained by the ].


== History == == History ==
Because of its reputation as one of the best lookouts in Litchfield County, the Above All peak was the site of a wooden observation tower in the years before the ].<ref name=commissionreports/> A mountain-top summer resort planned in the 1880s, that would have featured a {{convert|125|ft|adj=on}} observation tower for the viewing of far distant sights, never materialized.<ref name="book2"/> The park originated in 1927 when the heirs of Seymour Strong gave three acres of land to the state.<ref name=theday/> The state's purchase of 28 adjoining acres from the Stanley estate followed in December 1927.<ref name=telegram/> In 1934, the ''State Register and Manual'' identified Above All as Connecticut's 36th state park.<ref name=register/>
The history of this state park is more mysterious than others due to its isolation and use as a ]-era site for ] ] ]. Leary writes, that despite its name, the park is not "Above All" in terms of scale, views or elevation and notes ], ] and ] respectively.<ref name=leary /> There are two competing claims in publications about how the park obtained its name. According to ''Connecticut; a Guide to Its Roads, Lore, and People'', the park is noted for its "woodland trails, excellent views, and a 'top of the world' isolation that explains its name."<ref name="book1">{{cite book | url=http://books.google.com/books?id=uvvqa9ctEmMC&pg=PA455&dq=%22Above-All%22+connecticut+park&hl=en&sa=X&ei=20B4U5KnLqrLsQTQ0YDIDQ&ved=0CFMQ6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q=%22Above-All%22%20connecticut%20park&f=false | title=Connecticut; a Guide to Its Roads, Lore, and People, | author=Federal Writers' Project | year=1938 | pages=455}}</ref> According to Leary, the Above All State Park was used by the Stone family for generations and they claimed it was the highest working farm by elevation in all of Connecticut.<ref name=leary /> During the 19th-century, the site was considered for the "Above-All Mountain House", a holiday resort, but it was never built.<ref name=green />


From June 1957 to June 1968, the state park became a ] (SAGE) Air Defense Network radar site. The military installation was called the New Preston Gap-Filler RADAR Annex P-50A /Z-50A. The site was an unmanned gap-filler "providing low altitude coverage" that "consisted of the radar and tower along with the building which contained the radar equipment and a diesel generator."<ref name=cold/><ref name=green/> In 1968, a dirt road and cinder block building were added to the top of the hill as part of an upgrade to the site.<ref name=leary /> In 1981, the park was the subject of a study by ] as a possible ] site. An ] and wind vane were placed atop a {{convert|65|ft|adj=on}} tower to record wind data.<ref name=theday2/>
Despite a lack of information provided by the ], the park was founded in 1927 when the heirs of Seymour Strong gifted three acres of land to the state.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1915&dat=19280112&id=N6AtAAAAIBAJ&sjid=e3EFAAAAIBAJ&pg=3808,823106 | title=Park Commission To Buy 125 Acres For State Forest | publisher=The Day | date=January 12, 1928 | accessdate=19 May 2014}}</ref> From June 1957 to June 1968, the state park became a military installation known as the New Preston Gap-Filler RADAR Annex (GFA) P-50A /Z-50A. In 1968, a dirt road and a cinder block building, a bunker, was added to the top of the hill as part of an upgrade to the site.<ref name=leary /><ref name=green /> Located behind the bunker was the launchpad for the Nike missiles, each carrying a 2-to-40 kiloton nuclear warhead.<ref name=green /> Bedell and Leary state that the site also functioned as the command and control center, Bedell more specifically states that it was the command center for the twelve Nike sites across Connecticut, but this claim is disputed because the site is described as an unmanned gap-filler that provided low altitude coverage.<ref name=leary /><ref name=green /><ref name=cold /> The site "consisted of the radar and tower along with the building which contained the radar equipment and a diesel generator".<ref name=cold>{{cite web | url=http://coldwar-ct.com/Nike_Warren.html | title=SAGE New Preston | publisher=Cold War CT | accessdate=19 May 2014}}</ref> Bedell notes that " was the only state to have had every square inch of its territory protected (or targeted) by nuclear weapons."<ref name=green /> Though the Nike missiles were never tested and were obsolete with introduction the Soviet ].<ref name=green /> Bedell states that the park reappeared on the maps after its decommissioning, but has since reverted to secrecy, but it is listed on the ] website.<ref name=green /><ref name=DEEP />


== Status == ==Park name==
According to the ] writers who created ''Connecticut: A Guide to Its Roads, Lore, and People'' in the 1930s, the park's name came from its "top of the world" isolation.<ref name="book1"/> In his book on Connecticut's state parks, Joseph Leary traces the name to the land's use by the Stone family, who claimed it was the highest working farm by elevation in all of Connecticut.<ref name=leary2/>
The Above All State Park is managed by the ], but according to Bedell, "There are no signs pointing the way to Above All State Park. It is not even marked on the newer editions of the official state tourism map, nor is it included in the official list of state parks."<ref name=green /> Joseph Leary's book ''A Shared Landscape'' also notes this fact by stating "This Park is unmarked and undeveloped."<ref name="leary">{{cite book | title=A Shared Landscape: A Guide & History of Connecticut's State Parks & Forests | publisher=Friends of the Connecticut State Parks, Inc. | author=Leary, Joseph | year=2004 | pages=228 | isbn=0974662909}}</ref> The park can be reached from following ], by proceeding north after the junction with ], and turning onto Sackett Hill Road and following it for 0.7 miles until turning left onto Above All Road. After proceeding for 1 mile on Above All Road, the park is accessible via a barred gate.<ref name=leary />


==Status==
There are no facilities, toilets, or other markers at the Above All State Park, and the park has some informal trails near the top of the park, but these are not maintained or marked by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.<ref name=leary /> The park was not included in the 2014 Connecticut Trails Day Weekend despite having 258 events across the state, many in state parks, forests and trails.<ref name="trailday">{{cite journal | title=Connecticut Trails Day Weekend 2014 - Saturday & Sunday June 7 & 8 (Booklet) | author=Connecticut Forest & Park Association | year=2014}}</ref>
Accessing the park off ] requires passing a barred gate. Informal trails near the top of the park are not maintained or marked and there are no facilities.<ref name=leary /> Structures on the site include the radar equipment building, footings for the radar tower, and supports for the generator's fuel tank. Photos displayed on the ''Radome'' website show the condition of the site in 2001 and 2006 with the equipment building in "excellent condition," and the radar tower and chain-link fencing missing. The site has been vandalized by graffiti.<ref name=radome />


==References== ==References==
{{reflist|refs= {{reflist|refs=
<ref name=DEEP>{{cite web |url=http://www.ct.gov/deep/cwp/view.asp?a=2716&q=445284&deepNav_GID=1650#AboveAll |title=Above All State Park |work=State Parks and Forests |publisher=Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection |accessdate=February 5, 2013}}</ref> <ref name=DEEP>{{cite web |url=https://portal.ct.gov/deep/state-parks/locate-park-forest/other-state-parks-and-forests |title=Other State Parks and Forests |publisher=Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection |access-date=July 23, 2024}}</ref>


<ref name=green>{{cite web |url=http://www.ctgreenparty.org/articles/83-connecticuts-nuclear-weapons.html |title=Connecticut's Nuclear Weapons |first=David |last=Bedell |publisher=Green Party of Connecticut |accessdate=March 20, 2014}}</ref> <ref name=cttourism>{{cite web |url=https://ctvisit.com/listings/above-all-state-park |title=Above All State Park |publisher=Connecticut Office of Tourism |access-date=July 23, 2024}}</ref>

<ref name=pristaff>{{cite web |url=http://www.cga.ct.gov/pri/docs/2013/State%20Parks%20and%20Forests%20Funding%20Staff%20Findings%20and%20Recommendations%20.pdf |title=Appendix A: List of State Parks and Forests |work=State Parks and Forests: Funding |series=Staff Findings and Recommendations |publisher=Connecticut General Assembly |date=January 23, 2014 |page=A-1 |access-date=September 2, 2016}}</ref>

<ref name=green>A writer for the Connecticut Green Party has made unsubstantiated claims that the installation was a Nike missile launch site and that the existence of the park has reverted to secrecy. {{cite web |url=https://www.ctgreenparty.org/articles/83-connecticuts-nuclear-weapons.html |title=Connecticut's Nuclear Weapons |first=David |last=Bedell |publisher=Green Party of Connecticut |date=August 2008 |access-date=August 8, 2024}}</ref>

<ref name="book1">{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/connecticut00federich |title=Connecticut: A Guide to Its Roads, Lore, and People |author=Federal Writers' Project |series=American Guide Series |location=Boston |publisher=Houghton Mifflin Company |year=1938 |page= |access-date=July 8, 2015}}</ref>

<ref name="book2">Bookseller Ray Boas discussing the contents of {{cite book |title=Through the Housatonic Vally to the Hills and Homes of Berkshire |author=Bryan, Clark W. |location=Bridgeport, Conn. |publisher=The Housatonic Railroad |year=1884 |url=http://www.rayboasbookseller.com/conn.htm |access-date=September 3, 2016}}</ref>

<ref name=theday>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1915&dat=19280112&id=N6AtAAAAIBAJ&sjid=e3EFAAAAIBAJ&pg=3808,823106 | title=Park commission to buy 125 acres for state forest |newspaper=The Day |location=New London, Conn. |date=January 12, 1928 |access-date=May 19, 2014}}</ref>

<ref name=theday2>{{cite news | url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1915&dat=19810117&id=kBUiAAAAIBAJ&sjid=CXUFAAAAIBAJ&pg=1080,2523696 |title=Northeast Utilities studying wind power |newspaper=The Day |location=New London, Conn. |date=January 17, 1981 | access-date=19 May 2014}}</ref>
<ref name=telegram>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/1471198/purchase_of_land_for_above_all_state/ |title=State to buy 28 acres of land on mountain |newspaper=The Bridgeport Telegram |location=Bridgeport, Conn. |date=December 9, 1927 |page=13 |access-date=January 1, 2015}}</ref>

<ref name=register>{{cite web |url=https://archive.org/stream/register34conn#page/n233/mode/2up |title=State Parks |work=State Register and Manual 1934 |publisher=State of Connecticut |year=1934 |page=227 |access-date=September 3, 2016}}</ref>

<ref name="leary">{{cite book |title=A Shared Landscape: A Guide & History of Connecticut's State Parks & Forests |first=Joseph |last=Leary |publisher=Friends of the Connecticut State Parks, Inc. |location=Hartford, Conn. |year=2004 |pages=228 |isbn=0974662909}}</ref>

<ref name="leary2">Leary opines that despite its name, the park is not "above all" in terms of scale, views or elevation and cites the scale of ], the views of ], and the elevation of ]. Leary, p. 228</ref>

<ref name=cold>{{cite web |url=http://coldwar-ct.com/Nike_Warren.html |title=SAGE New Preston |work=Coldwar-Ct.com |access-date=May 19, 2014}}</ref>

<ref name=radome>{{cite web |url=http://www.radomes.org/museum/parsehtml.php?key=NewPrestonCT.html&type=recent_html |title=Recent photos of New Preston, CT GFA |publisher=Radomes, Inc. - The Air Defense Radar Veterans Association |access-date=May 19, 2014}} The ''Radomes'' website states that the site is "not within a state park as earlier reported," then gives the same directions and site description as Leary and Bedell.</ref>

<ref name=commissionreports>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tNxWAAAAMAAJ&pg=RA7-PA27 |title=Report of the State Park and Forest Commission to the Governor (1928) |publisher=State of Connecticut |location=Hartford, Conn. |date=December 22, 1928 |page=27 |access-date=September 2, 2016}}</ref>
}} }}


==External links== ==External links==
{{commons category|Above All State Park}}
* Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection * Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection

⚫ {{Protected areas of Connecticut}}


{{authority control}}
⚫ {{Protected Areas of Connecticut}}


] ]
] ]
]
] ]
] ]

Latest revision as of 15:28, 8 August 2024

Public recreation area in Connecticut, United States

Above All State Park
Infrastructure
Above All State Park is located in ConnecticutAbove All State ParkAbove All State ParkLocation in Connecticut
LocationWarren, Connecticut, United States
Coordinates41°43′37″N 73°21′10″W / 41.72694°N 73.35278°W / 41.72694; -73.35278
Area31 acres (13 ha)
Elevation1,473 ft (449 m)
Established1927
Administered byConnecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
DesignationConnecticut state park
WebsiteOfficial website Edit this at Wikidata

Above All State Park is an undeveloped public recreation area located in the town of Warren, Connecticut. Remnants of a Cold War-era military radar installation (pictured at right) may be seen. The only park amenities are informal trails not maintained by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

History

Because of its reputation as one of the best lookouts in Litchfield County, the Above All peak was the site of a wooden observation tower in the years before the Civil War. A mountain-top summer resort planned in the 1880s, that would have featured a 125-foot (38 m) observation tower for the viewing of far distant sights, never materialized. The park originated in 1927 when the heirs of Seymour Strong gave three acres of land to the state. The state's purchase of 28 adjoining acres from the Stanley estate followed in December 1927. In 1934, the State Register and Manual identified Above All as Connecticut's 36th state park.

From June 1957 to June 1968, the state park became a Semi-Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) Air Defense Network radar site. The military installation was called the New Preston Gap-Filler RADAR Annex P-50A /Z-50A. The site was an unmanned gap-filler "providing low altitude coverage" that "consisted of the radar and tower along with the building which contained the radar equipment and a diesel generator." In 1968, a dirt road and cinder block building were added to the top of the hill as part of an upgrade to the site. In 1981, the park was the subject of a study by Northeast Utilities as a possible wind power site. An anemometer and wind vane were placed atop a 65-foot (20 m) tower to record wind data.

Park name

According to the WPA writers who created Connecticut: A Guide to Its Roads, Lore, and People in the 1930s, the park's name came from its "top of the world" isolation. In his book on Connecticut's state parks, Joseph Leary traces the name to the land's use by the Stone family, who claimed it was the highest working farm by elevation in all of Connecticut.

Status

Accessing the park off Connecticut Route 341 requires passing a barred gate. Informal trails near the top of the park are not maintained or marked and there are no facilities. Structures on the site include the radar equipment building, footings for the radar tower, and supports for the generator's fuel tank. Photos displayed on the Radome website show the condition of the site in 2001 and 2006 with the equipment building in "excellent condition," and the radar tower and chain-link fencing missing. The site has been vandalized by graffiti.

References

  1. ^ "Above All". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  2. "Appendix A: List of State Parks and Forests" (PDF). State Parks and Forests: Funding. Staff Findings and Recommendations. Connecticut General Assembly. January 23, 2014. p. A-1. Retrieved September 2, 2016.
  3. "Other State Parks and Forests". Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
  4. "Above All State Park". Connecticut Office of Tourism. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
  5. Report of the State Park and Forest Commission to the Governor (1928). Hartford, Conn.: State of Connecticut. December 22, 1928. p. 27. Retrieved September 2, 2016.
  6. Bookseller Ray Boas discussing the contents of Bryan, Clark W. (1884). Through the Housatonic Vally to the Hills and Homes of Berkshire. Bridgeport, Conn.: The Housatonic Railroad. Retrieved September 3, 2016.
  7. "Park commission to buy 125 acres for state forest". The Day. New London, Conn. January 12, 1928. Retrieved May 19, 2014.
  8. "State to buy 28 acres of land on mountain". The Bridgeport Telegram. Bridgeport, Conn. December 9, 1927. p. 13. Retrieved January 1, 2015.
  9. "State Parks". State Register and Manual 1934. State of Connecticut. 1934. p. 227. Retrieved September 3, 2016.
  10. "SAGE New Preston". Coldwar-Ct.com. Retrieved May 19, 2014.
  11. A writer for the Connecticut Green Party has made unsubstantiated claims that the installation was a Nike missile launch site and that the existence of the park has reverted to secrecy. Bedell, David (August 2008). "Connecticut's Nuclear Weapons". Green Party of Connecticut. Retrieved August 8, 2024.
  12. ^ Leary, Joseph (2004). A Shared Landscape: A Guide & History of Connecticut's State Parks & Forests. Hartford, Conn.: Friends of the Connecticut State Parks, Inc. p. 228. ISBN 0974662909.
  13. "Northeast Utilities studying wind power". The Day. New London, Conn. January 17, 1981. Retrieved May 19, 2014.
  14. Federal Writers' Project (1938). Connecticut: A Guide to Its Roads, Lore, and People. American Guide Series. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. p. 455. Retrieved July 8, 2015.
  15. Leary opines that despite its name, the park is not "above all" in terms of scale, views or elevation and cites the scale of Lake Waramaug State Park, the views of Mount Tom State Park, and the elevation of Dennis Hill State Park. Leary, p. 228
  16. "Recent photos of New Preston, CT GFA". Radomes, Inc. - The Air Defense Radar Veterans Association. Retrieved May 19, 2014. The Radomes website states that the site is "not within a state park as earlier reported," then gives the same directions and site description as Leary and Bedell.

External links

Protected areas of Connecticut
National Park Service
National Wildlife Refuges
National Trails
Wild and Scenic Rivers
State Parks
State Forests
Wildlife Management Areas
Reservoirs
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Trails
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