Connecticut Parks Celebrate Centennial

The Connecticut state park system is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, as The Hartford Courant reports.  The Connecticut State Park Commission was created in 1913 and charged with developing a statewide system of parks.  The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP), which oversees state parks today, is about to launch a year-long celebration.  State park records show that the first land purchased for a state park was beachfront property at Sherwood Island in Westport in 1914.  But, the first state park to formally open was Hurd State Park on the Connecticut River in East Hampton in 1915.  Today there are 107 state parks, which draw more than 7.8 million visitors each year.  DEEP will formally kick off the centennial celebration on August 14 with a reception at Dinosaur State Park in Rocky Hill.