Larkin Trail & the New York–New England Railroad

COLLECTION HISTORY

The people behind the place.

The former railroad operated from 1881 until 1939. In 1943, Charles Larkin acquired and donated a section for an equestrian trail. The present state trail extends through Southbury, Oxford, Middlebury and Naugatuck. [CT058-S01] [CT058-S02]

State Parks describes surviving ballast and cinders among the trail’s surface materials. These remnants connect the wooded route to its transportation function. Its current notice records continuing closures after the August 2024 flood, illustrating how later natural events also alter historic infrastructure. [CT058-S01] [CT058-S02]

The railroad's 1881–1939 operating period and Charles Larkin's 1943 gift describe two distinct uses of a connected corridor. The donation redirected part of the route toward equestrian recreation. Its passage through Southbury, Oxford, Middlebury and Naugatuck makes this a regional story even when an individual photograph records only one local segment. [CT058-S01] [CT058-S02]

Ballast and cinders described by State Parks preserve material evidence of trains beneath a later trail surface. Flood damage adds a further layer of change: a dated closure notice records conditions at the time of that notice, not the permanent status of the entire route. Together the evidence shows that reuse does not stop a place from changing. [CT058-S01] [CT058-S02]