As summer begins, and crowds head toward Old Mill — to sit on the beach, fish in the inlet or jump (illegally) from the pedestrian walkway — it’s hard not to notice the handsome white house straddling between Long Island Sound and Sherwood Mill Pond.
What was once a grist mill is now (following 2 fires) a private home. With water flowing underneath, and killer views on both sides, it’s one of those places we love imagining living in.
It’s been a private home for over a century. (Pete Aitkin, the Black Duck owner, is a former resident.)
Here’s what it looked like, around 1910. The colorized image comes from Paul Ehrismann, whose collection of seldom-seen photos seems limitless.
(Every Friday, “06880” looks backward. Looking forward, we need reader’s support. Please click here to make a tax-deductible contribution. Thank you!)
If you’ve never taken the leisurely walk from Old Mill Beach to Compo Cove, you’re missing one of the hidden gems of Westport.
Two wooden bridges and a walking path provide breath-taking, ever-changing views of Sherwood Mill Pond on one side, and Long Island Sound on the other.
Ospreys soar overhead. An oyster boat floats nearby. Tidal gates are a reminder that an “old mill” once stood at the site.
And — on the wooden railing — there’s an image of a bass.
That was last week’s Photo Challenge (click here to see).
Jeff Jacobs, Andrew Colabella, Amy Schneider and Joelle Berger all quickly knew where it was.
I guess everyone else has been too busy looking at the water, the sky, the trees or the reeds to notice.
You’ve got to look up to spot today’s Photo Challenge. If you know where in Westport you’d see this, click “Comments” below.
“06880” readers were out in force today, capturing the force of the mostly-wind storm.
Wind gusts continue. A (very) brief period of sun gave way to more rain.
As of 2:45 p.m., Eversource was making steady headway with Westport’s power outages. There were 491 customers still without service — 3.87% of the town — down from earlier numbers. Weston reported 318 customers without electricity (8.16%).
Statewide, 61,792 customers lacked power (4.77%).
Next up: plunging temperatures. Stay safe and warm, wherever you are!
Close to the pavilion …(Photo/Nathan Greenbaum)
… and the cannons. (Photo/Nathan Greenbaum)
Cool — or foolhardy? (Photo/Nathan Greenbaum)
Bridge Square (William Whitmal)
Saugatuck River, as it’s seldom seen … (Photo/Mark Taglia)
… and near the I-95 Exit 17 ramp, where a boat is seldom seen. (Photo/Patti Brill)
These baseballs floated out from one of the (flooded) Compo Cove garages. Only 52 days till the start of spring training! (Photo/Matt Murray)
As beach season begins — and the newly retro-named Old Mill Grocery prepares to reopen — it’s time to look at Old Mill Beach, back in the day.
Seth Schachter sent a fascinating postcard, from his vast collection. Click on or hover over to enlarge:
There is so much to see here: the meadow (foreground), where homes now stand.
The channel (now filled in) that runs from Sherwood Mill Pond toward a pair of homes (or sheds?), long ago demolished or destroyed by storms.
Old Mill Beach itself — back then, just rocks or grass.
The handsome stand of trees.
The narrow strip of land on the north side of Old Mill Road. Were the houses there now built on landfill?
I wonder too who took this “bird’s-eye view” — and how? Was it from Compo Hill, or a low-flying airplane?
So much has changed at Old Mill in the century or so since this photo was taken. But from the pedestrian bridge and the “grist mill” house , on out to Compo Cove, the scene seems timeless.
(If you like our “Friday Flashback” feature, please click here to support “06880.”)
It’s no secret that alcohol consumption has soared during the pandemic.
What is a secret is that few people have talked about it.
Westport Together — the town’s health and wellness alliance — wants that to change.
On February 17 (7 p.m., Zoom), they’re sponsoring an online roundtable discussion. “Mindful Drinking: Reimagining Our Alcohol Habits & How They Impact Our Relationships” includes local residents talking about the role of alcohol in Westport culture, and its impact on ourselves and friends.
Yesterday morning at 7:40, a car was stolen from the Playhouse Square parking lot. It was soon involved in an accident near the office building across from Fire Department headquarters, though the car thief escaped.
Around the same time, a wallet was stolen from a vehicle parked near Trader Joe’s.
In both cases, the cars were unlocked. The vehicle that was stolen had the key fob inside.
These incidents are astonishingly common in Westport. For a town that prides itself on its schools, the simple lesson of “lock your vehicle — and take the fob with you!” seems to take waaaaay too long to sink in.
Calling all Olympics fans — especially those who follow Westport’s own Julia Marino:
The silver medalist snowboarder has one event left: big air.
Qualifiers are set for this Sunday (February 13), 8:30 p.m. EST, on NBC or USA. However, that may be pushed back to Monday morning at 12:30 a.m., due to Super Bowl coverage.
The big air finals are Monday (February 14), 8:30 p.m. on NBC.
Go for the gold, Julia! (Hat tip: Matthew Mandell)
NBC’s split screen last weekend showed Julia Marino in China, and the Marino family and friends in Westport. (Screenshot/Jeanine Esposito)
For over 75 years, “Soundings” and “QED” have published Staples High School students’ prose, poetry, artwork, photography and more.
The publications have won many awards — including most recently 1st place in the American Scholastic Press Association’s national contest. The publications show off our town’s teenage talent, and inspire countless students to find careers in the literary and visual arts.
For the past couple of years — for reasons both economic (budgets) and medical (COVID) — the magazines have been digital only.
Yet editors and readers know there is something special — still — about print.
To publish on paper, they need money. It’s not a lot — just $3,000 — but they’ve asking for help. Via GoFundMe.
Click here to contribute. And if you need a few dozens reasons why this is important, click here for “Soundings”‘ website.
Make sure you’ve got time, though. Those 7 decades of archives won’t read themselves.
George Billis Gallery hosts an opening reception tomorrow (Saturday, February 12, 4:30 to 6 p.m.) for its new show. Adam Noel and Karen Recor are the featured artists, at the Main Street space.
Click here to help support “06880” via credit card or PayPal. Any amount is welcome, appreciated — and tax-deductible! Reader contributions keep this blog going. (Alternate methods: Please send a check to “06880”: PO Box 744, Westport, CT 06881. Or use Venmo: @blog06880. Or Zelle: dwoog@optonline.net. Thanks!)
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