Walter Hubbard's 1,800-Acre Park with Castle Craig and Folklore
999 W Main Street, Meriden, CT 06451
Age
All Ages
Cost
Free
Free; Hubbard's donation requires no admission fees
Access
Wheelchair OK
Mixed park terrain; trails to Castle Craig are steep
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1900 · Donated by Walter Hubbard · Mirror Lake co-designed with Frederick Law Olmsted · Castle Craig dedicated 1900 · Listed on National Register of Historic Places
Hubbard Park is a 1,800-acre park in the Hanging Hills of Connecticut just outside the city of Meriden, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The land was donated to the town by Walter Hubbard, president of the Bradley & Hubbard Manufacturing Company, who personally spent between $400,000 and $500,000 to clear land, build roads, and construct Mirror Lake with the help of Frederick Law Olmsted, designer of Central Park. Hubbard stipulated the park remain free of charge to the people of Meriden in perpetuity, with no commercial concessions permitted within the park. On October 29, 1900 Hubbard formally presented the 32-foot Castle Craig tower to the city, set atop the 976-foot east peak. Variously said to have been inspired by a Norman French tower, a 12th-century tower on the Danube, or a Scottish tower in Craigellachie, Castle Craig is the highest point within 25 miles of the coast from Maine to Florida.
Sources
Local tradition holds that a young girl said to be the spirit of a kidnapping victim haunts Hubbard Park as a protective presence. The story tells that she appears as a roughly seven-year-old girl, sometimes acting to protect park visitors. No documented historical incident anchors this folklore; it circulates through regional Connecticut ghost-tour materials and not through Meriden municipal sources. Visitors should approach the park as a family-friendly historic destination centered on Walter Hubbard's gift to Meriden and Castle Craig.
Media Appearances
Explore Hubbard Park's 1,800 acres of trails, Mirror Lake, and the 32-foot Castle Craig tower atop East Peak — the highest point within 25 miles of the coast between Maine and Florida.
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