by guest blogger, Elise Hanks

Upon reflecting on local places that hold my favorite memories, I recalled countless afternoons and evenings spent at Saw Mill Park in Ledyard.  A National Historic Landmark, the park holds great educational merit; the water-powered saw mill and its museum run in April and May and October and November on Saturday afternoons.  In addition to the huge up-down mill, the park hosts a shingle miss, gristmill, a working blacksmith shop, ice harvesting equipment, and various other mill artifacts from the Industrial Revolution.  Housed in a restored building from 1860, the mill is a truly awesome experience for a kid; I was both enthralled and terrified as I watched the spinning saw zing through massive tree trunks.

     Although I enjoyed watching the mill in action, for me the allure of the park did not lie within the buildings.  Saw Mill Pond is many things for me.  It is where I caught my first fish with the help of my grandfather and where I went exploring with the neighborhood gang of girls.  I began frogging there; I would search the mud and lily pads for frogs and try to catch them, either with my special net or my own hands (I always let them go).  I crossed my first monkey bars there, saw a snapping turtle for the first time, and fed the ducks regularly.  My family drove my brother's remote control boat around the pond and my dad kicked out to the middle on a boogie board to retrieve said boat when it got stuck in the lily pads.  I even had a birthday party at the pond. In wintertime I have ice-skated near the shallow shore and once built a snowman there so the ducks wouldn't be too lonely.

     Whether fishing or frogging, feeding the ducks or enjoying a picnic, Saw Mill Pond is a great place for an afternoon outing.  Several swing sets, picnic tables, and a set of monkey bars are fun for those who have no desire to squelch through the mud in search of animals; spring and summertime peepers, pumpkin fish, painted turtles, bull frogs, the occasional egret or heron, salamanders, ducks, and snapping turtles can all be seen at the Park this summer. Saw Mill's rustic charms include the small waterfall that gushes out from under a wooden bridge that is always picturesque.  The park is great for a nice stroll, a few laps around makes for a scenic, easy jog, and is always peaceful enough for reading at one of the picnic tables.

Elise Hanks, 2007 graduate of Ledyard High School, is a summer employee at RE/MAX Realty Group and weekly contributor to the Eastern CT Real Estate Blog.