spook beer

Mt. Tom is one of the oldest parks in the state park system; it is named for the mountain within its boundaries. There is a stone tower on top of the mountain that is a favored destination among hikers. The summit of Mt. Tom is 1325 feet above sea level, 125 feet higher than its Massachusetts counterpart. The tower trail is less than one mile long and rises some 500 feet.

Mount Tom - On the trail of Mount Tom, there is a strangely old foundation that is boarded with creaky old stair wells and when you get to the top, you can hear moaning from the floors below. Some people gave reported seeing strange semi transparent images though the images are not clear. The ghost is said to be a high school kid who died while on the trail. The name is unknown, and some people have even had communications with this "ghost." grrrr Another haunted place ? When alone or at night such things can get creepy even if just the imagination at play. How about a drink? (your under arrest)

Mount Tom State Park is a state-operated, public recreation area lying south of US Route 202 in the towns of Washington, Litchfield, and Morris in Litchfield County, Connecticut. The park occupies 231 acres (93 ha) on the southwest shore of 56-acre (23 ha) Mount Tom Pond. The park is one of the oldest in the Connecticut state park system and is home to the Mount Tom Tower which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993.

History

Mount Tom State Park was among the 15 parks created between 1913 and 1918 by Connecticut's first State Park Commission and was the first to open. The park's land had been donated in 1911 for use as a state park by Charles H. Senff. Following Senff's death, his widow, Gustavia A. Senff, saw the transfer of the property through to completion, with the state legislature finalizing the action in 1917.

Mount Tom Tower

A condition of the Senff gift was that a permanent observation tower be maintained at the summit of Mount Tom. The State Park Commission recommended that a stone tower be built to replace a wooden structure that had stood at the spot since 1888. The commission's secretary, Alfred M. Turner, drew up plans which were not closely followed when an unknown contractor constructed the tower of rough black gneiss found at the site. The tower stands 34 feet (10 m) high and 15 feet (4.6 m) in diameter; it was completed in 1921. Visitors can climb to the top for views that extend to Mount Everett in Massachusetts, the Catskills in New York, and Long Island Sound.

Geology

The park is notable for the presence of the metamorphic rocks gneiss and schist, the minerals quartz, garnet and hornblende, and boulders carried to the site by Ice Age glaciers.

Activities and amenities

Recreational activities include hiking the nearly one-mile-long loop trail that ascends Mount Tom to the observation tower, fishing, swimming and canoeing on Mount Tom Pond, and picnicking.