Back in the day — through the 1st half of the 20th century — Captain Walter Dewitt Allen opened the Sherwood Mill Pond tidal gates by hand. Regular flushing dries out the seaweed, and freshens the water.
Today, the task that “Cap Allen” did well into his 70s is performed mechanically. This morning, the tidal gates were opened so they could be serviced.
The result: a bonanza for the few folks who wandered by. Under brilliant blue skies, the views — and the crabbing — could not have been better.
A young boy scampered down between the open tidal gates. He was looking for crabs, but he also spotted a large turtle and other pond life.
No one jumped into the channel today.
If you didn’t mind the mud, you got a rare view of Hillspoint Road from mid-pond.
i do well remember the good Captain crankin’ away !
Thanks for remembering my grandfather, Dan. He cared a lot about the Mill Pond.
he loved and revered the Mill Pond, and everything surrounding ! are you
related to Harry Allen ? he used to beat us all with his Snipe for years,
racing out of the old Cedar Point YC.
DO I REMEMBER CORRECTLY THAT A HOUSE WAS BUILT STRADDLING THE CHANNEL?
It straddles part of the channel (as you can see in the right side of the middle photo above).
westport the way it was in the 1800’s
Harry and Russ Allen represented the USA in the Olympics racing Star class boats in Ireland. They were painters along with their cousin Robert “trapper” Allen and resided on Compo Rd., South.