McCook Point Park

Story

McCook Point is a public park and beach located in the village of Niantic in the town of East Lyme. It adjoins the town's Hole in the Wall Beach to its east and the private Crescent Beach to its west. Combined, the two parks encompass 21 acres of land, the bulk of which is within the section known as McCook Point Park.McCook Park has the following facilities: A covered picnic pavilion that can be rented and reserved for use Two restroom facilities: one at the lower beach area, the other on the bluff near the picnic pavilion Playground equipment on the bluff area Parking by the beach and on the bluff by the pavilionGeographyMcCook Point Park consists of the point itself which stands about 40 feet above sea level, and a beach area that is the easternmost point of the Crescent Beach area. The point represents an example of the geological forces that created the northern shore of the Long Island Sound: a combination of three mountain building events creating bedrock units with a north-south grain, and subsequent glacial action that eroded the softer rock structure to create the existing coastline including McCook Point and adjoining Black Point.HistoryMcCook Point has been used for fishing and recreation for centuries.Pre-colonial PeriodMcCook Point served as a summer camping site for Nehantic Indians. The Nehantics camped along the Niantic River and the Niantic Sound, including McCook Point, during the summer months. They grew corn, beans, and squash, as well as catching fish and shellfish in the sound, the river, and other streams that feed the sound.Colonial PeriodWhen European settlers arrived, McCook Point along with much of the area surrounding it was left to the Nehantics, as settlers chose to live closer to the King's Highway, now known as the Boston Post Road, in what is now the village of Flanders. At this time McCook Point was known as Champlain's Point.