I wasn’t sure how many people would actually know the I’m-sure-I’ve-seen-it-somewhere image that was last week’s Photo Challenge.
It showed the bus shelter — built by the Westport Rotary Club — on Kings Highway North, not far from the Canal Street apartments. (Click here to see.)
As several readers noted, the site known as Duck Haven.
Which raises 2 questions:
- Why, exactly, is it called “Duck Haven”?
- And who, exactly, is the bus shelter for?
It is not on the Coastal Link bus line. I don’t know of any bus that passes by there.
Perhaps it was once a Minnybus stop.
Here’s an idea: If no one uses it now, can it be moved to a spot on the Post Road, where it could actually shelter people waiting for an actual bus?
Right now, it seems like a waste of good wood.
Congratulations to Andrew Colabella, Cheryl Petrone, Jamie Walsh, Ed Simek, Michael Calise, John D. McCarthy, Suzanne Ford, Michelle Vitulich, Dave Eason, Jonathan McClure, Jack Harder, Miichael Simso and Kate Caputo Squyres.
You probably noticed it while waiting on Kings Highway North for the light at Canal Street. Right now, 4 cars get through at a time — max.
But that’s a different issue.
This week’s Photo Challenge highlights a little-known fact: “Beetle Bailey”‘s creator, cartoonist Mort Walker, is buried in Westport.
(Photo/Arlene Yolles)
But where? And why?
If you know, click “Comments” below.
(The Photo Challenge is a Sunday “06880” feature. If you like it — or anything else from Westport’s hyper-local blog — please support our work. Just click here. Thank you!)
I believe he’s buried at Willowbrook but have no idea why other than he lives in Westport.
Dan, I think “Duck Haven” was in reference to a house very close to the shelter, and of course, ducks over in the river. Now back to your regularly schedule photo challenge.
BURIAL
Willowbrook Cemetery
Westport, Fairfield County, Connecticut, USA Show Map GPS-Latitude: 41.1539639, Longitude: -73.3641931
PLOT
Section 12, Row 3, Grave No. 36
Willowbrook Cemetary
Willowbrook Cemetery
Willowbrook Cemetery.
Willowbrook Cemetery for Mort Walker
Interesting side note on Willowbrook Cemetary. A month or two ago when I was using Google maps to find an address in Westport, “Stew Leonard’s Grave” showed up as a highlighted place in Willowbrook. Never thought about that being a popular destination to highlight but Google Maps highlights odd things from time to time.
I know that the grave is in Willowbrook Cemetery. And I also know that Mort used to live fairly nearby in Stamford. And he probably also knew that Westport is/was the home of many famous cartoonists.
Dan,
As I recall, the Rotary’s contribution of the bus shelter, was intended to serve the residents of the newly constructed Canal Park Elderly Housing Community. As you surmised, it was located on an established Westport Transit District route, and the reason I, as its director at the time, attended it’s inauguration.
Willowbrook Cemetery burial.
He lived in Stamford, but his second wife lived in Westport,& her first husband (cartoonist John Prentice) is buried in Willowbrook.
Since I took the photo, I won’t reveal the answer but it’s one of my favorite places to walk!
Willowbrook Cemetery
All correct. Willowbrook it is. Thanks too for the back stories.
Willowbrook is a gorgeous cemetery. Plenty of historic Westport folks are there, in graves and mausoleums. It’s quite a place.
Re: Duck Haven. During the 50’s 60’s and I think the 70’s the house at 148ish N. Kings Highway (alongside the river) had a sign out front that read “Wild Duck Haven”..The people at the house fed the water fowl throughout the year. Thusly there were always numerous ducks and swans hanging out. Like hundreds.
Willowbrook cemetary
Willowbrook cemetery. Both my parents are buried there. My Dad used to play golf with Mort over at Longshore.
I grew up around the corner and we used to ride our bikes around Willowbrook. It was a nice quiet place after all, no chance of getting run over unless an errant ghost was rushing through. 😅 In winter we’d go sledding down that steep hill in the front. In summer, I remember sitting by the edge of the brook that ran through, watching the water skimmers scoot around on the surface.
Dan, Little Toot wasn’t a “cartoon character” exactly (except when Walt Disney made my dad’s children’s book into an animated story in “Melody Time” in 1948) but he IS on a tombstone in Westport! This children’s book classic has been in print for 84 years and Little Toot is engraved in pink marble on Dad (Hardie Gramatky)’s grave. A cute story: a Westport second-grade teacher took his class to Colonial Cemetery to make grave rubbings. Sounds fine, until he had one child run over and tug on his pants leg and cry out, “Mr. X, come quickly! Little Toot is dead!” Wonder how he handled that.
Apologies. And thanks for the important update!