Haystack Mountain Tower

The Haystack Mountain Tower is a stone observation tower at the summit of 1,716-foot (523 m) Haystack Mountain in Haystack Mountain State Park, Norfolk, Connecticut. Built in 1929, it and the land on which it stands were donated by Ellen Battell Stoeckel. It provides views of three states and Long Island Sound. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993.[1]

Haystack Mountain Tower
Location43 North St., Norfolk, Connecticut
Coordinates42°0′17″N 73°12′31″W
Area1 acre (0.40 ha)
Built1929 (1929)
ArchitectRossiter & Muller
Architectural styleLate 19th and 20th Century Revivals, Jacobean Revival
NRHP reference No.93001244[1]
Added to NRHPDecember 2, 1993

Description and history

Haystack Mountain State Park is located just north of the village center of Norfolk, with its main access road, Stoeckel Drive, beginning on Connecticut Route 272. The road leads to the summit of Haystack Mountain, where the tower stands. It is about 50 feet (15 m) in height and 22 feet (6.7 m) in diameter, and is built primarily of dark grey granite that was quarried at the site. The stone is randomly laid, with deeply recessed mortaring. The interior has concrete steps leading upward to intermediate lands, with wooden stairs leading from the second landing up to a metal observation platform, which is set under a conical roof. The elevation of the second landing is indicated on the exterior by a stone string course. The observation area has eight openings providing views in all directions. With clear weather, areas in New York, Massachusetts, and Connecticut are visible, with views as far south as Long Island Sound possible.[2]

The tower was designed by Ehrick K. Rossiter of Rossiter & Muller, and is a significant local example of medieval Tudor Revival architecture. It was built in 1929 and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993.[1] It cost approximately $50,000 and was donated by Mrs. Ellen Battell Stoeckel, in memory of her husband, Carl Stoeckel.[3] Mrs. Stoeckel's donation also included the initial tracts of land that make up the state park.[2]

Inside the tower
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See also

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. David F. Ransom (June 1, 1993). "National Register of Historic Places Registration: Haystack Mountain Tower". National Park Service. and Accompanying 7 photos, from 1993 (see captions page 9 of text document)
  3. Citizen Reader, "Haystack Mountain," The Hartford Courant, 1929. Carl Stoeckel was the son of Gustave Stoeckel.
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