Overview/History

Tucked into the scenic rolling hills of the Western Highlands, 439-acre Black Rock offers a variety of outdoor activities. Steep, wooded ledges covered with pine, hemlock and oak provide the setting for Black Rock Pond.

Both fact and legend account for the name "Black Rock." Early settlers to the Naugatuck Valley were given rights to mine graphite lead by the resident Indians around 1657. The description given the contrasting darker-colored rock material has persisted through the years.

Early use of the area by Native Americans has been confirmed by the arrowheads and stone implements. Artifacts unearthed at the park belonged to members of the Mohegan, Paugussett and Tunxis tribes.

Black Rock was given to the people of Connecticut in 1926 through the efforts of Black Rock Forest, Incorporated, a citizen's conservation group interested in woodland preservation. Development of access roads and facilities later became part of the Civilian Conservation Corps' economic recovery program.