SILENT GROUNDS COLLECTIVE · NONPROFIT EDUCATIONAL ARCHIVE

Paugussett State Forest

SGC-CT065-065 · Research edition September 12, 2026

A selected, source-based research collection for New Haven and Fairfield counties. Includes credited photographs where reusable images were located, historical interpretation and links to supporting records. It is a growing inventory, not an exhaustive survey. Photographs retain their individual dates and reuse terms; images do not establish present access conditions.

Collection cover: see credited item below

The story in pictures

LillinonahTrail PondBrookInlet

LillinonahTrail PondBrookInlet

Taken on 10 April 2010

Lillinonah Trail.

Image credit and source
LillinonahTrail NorthernLakeFacingNorth

LillinonahTrail NorthernLakeFacingNorth

Taken on 10 April 2010

Lillinonah Trail.

Image credit and source
LillinonahTrail SouthernLakeWithDam2

LillinonahTrail SouthernLakeWithDam2

Taken on 10 April 2010

Lillinonah Trail.

Image credit and source
BBHTZoarTrailPryddenFalls1

BBHTZoarTrailPryddenFalls1

2010-02-07

Ice-covered cascade at Prydden Falls. Frozen Prydden Falls above the mouth of Prydden Brook on Lake Zoar.

Image credit and source
BBHTZoarTrailPryddenFalls2

BBHTZoarTrailPryddenFalls2

2010-02-07

Winter stream and lower falls area at Prydden Brook. Frozen falls at the Lake Zoar shore where Prydden Brook enters the lake.

Image credit and source
Read the full history

Collection history

Paugussett State Forest lies in Newtown in two separate blocks. Connecticut’s forestry account dates Lower Block acquisitions from the 1940s and the acquisition of the Upper Block to 1969. The forest is managed for timber, habitat and recreation, connecting conservation with continuing work on the land. [CT065-S01] [CT065-S02]

A wooded view records present vegetation at the time of the photograph; it cannot establish that the land was always forest. Historical maps, deeds and archaeological evidence can help investigate earlier boundaries and uses. The forest’s Indigenous-derived name is a starting point for research, not a substitute for an Indigenous history of the area. [CT065-S01] [CT065-S02]

The Upper and Lower Blocks did not enter state ownership together. Acquisitions of the Lower Block began in the 1940s, while the Upper Block was acquired in 1969. These dates show a public forest assembled through decisions about particular parcels. They do not date the trees or establish that the land had always been wooded. [CT065-S01] [CT065-S02]

Timber management, habitat and recreation place continuing work within the forest's history. A photograph of a trail or stand of trees records the landscape at one moment, while deeds and historical maps may reveal earlier fields, boundaries or buildings. The name Paugussett also calls for research into Indigenous history using sources that actually address the people and place. The state forest and the separately named Paugussett Trail should not be merged merely because a search result uses the same word. [CT065-S01] [CT065-S02]

Key dates

  • 1940s onward — Lower Block acquired in phases CT065-S01
  • 1969 — Upper Block acquired by the state CT065-S01

Site status: Public forest in two separate blocks

A closer look at the surviving record

LillinonahTrail PondBrookInlet

Lillinonah Trail.

Read the image and source notes: CT065-P01

LillinonahTrail NorthernLakeFacingNorth

Lillinonah Trail.

Read the image and source notes: CT065-P02

LillinonahTrail SouthernLakeWithDam2

Lillinonah Trail.

Read the image and source notes: CT065-P03

BBHTZoarTrailPryddenFalls1

Ice-covered cascade at Prydden Falls. Frozen Prydden Falls above the mouth of Prydden Brook on Lake Zoar.

Read the image and source notes: ED-C-image-pass-017

BBHTZoarTrailPryddenFalls2

Winter stream and lower falls area at Prydden Brook. Frozen falls at the Lake Zoar shore where Prydden Brook enters the lake.

Read the image and source notes: ED-C-image-pass-018

Search the collection

Includes source text where acquired. Source websites require an internet connection. OCR may contain errors; verify names and dates against the scan.

7 catalog entries

CT065-S01 · Sources & research leads · Source reviewed September 2026

Connecticut DEEP: Paugussett forest history

Supporting source for the collection’s history, chronology and research notes. Woodland and river views invite questions about land use, conservation and what forests conceal.

External source; the full publication remains with its publisher. The archive provides an original educational summary and a link. See the collection history for the claims supported by this record.

Credit: Connecticut DEEP. Cite SGC SGC-CT065-065, CT065-S01, source title, page and URL; accessed 2026-09-12.

CT065-S02 · Sources & research leads · Source reviewed September 2026

Paugussett State Forest: location and bibliography

Supporting source for the collection’s history, chronology and research notes. Woodland and river views invite questions about land use, conservation and what forests conceal.

External source; the full publication remains with its publisher. The archive provides an original educational summary and a link. See the collection history for the claims supported by this record.

Credit: Paugussett State Forest. Cite SGC SGC-CT065-065, CT065-S02, source title, page and URL; accessed 2026-09-12.

CT065-P01 · Photographs · Taken on 10 April 2010

LillinonahTrail PondBrookInlet

Lillinonah Trail.

Reuse permitted under CC BY-SA 3.0; credit the creator, link the license, and identify changes. Adapted images must be shared under the same license. Image supplied at web resolution; no editorial changes to the source image.

LillinonahTrail PondBrookInletCredit: H. Morrow Long / CC BY-SA 3.0. Cite SGC SGC-CT065-065, CT065-P01, source title, page and URL; accessed 2026-09-12.

CT065-P02 · Photographs · Taken on 10 April 2010

LillinonahTrail NorthernLakeFacingNorth

Lillinonah Trail.

Reuse permitted under CC BY-SA 3.0; credit the creator, link the license, and identify changes. Adapted images must be shared under the same license. Image supplied at web resolution; no editorial changes to the source image. 500px web thumbnail after source throttled larger image.

LillinonahTrail NorthernLakeFacingNorthCredit: H. Morrow Long / CC BY-SA 3.0. Cite SGC SGC-CT065-065, CT065-P02, source title, page and URL; accessed 2026-09-12.

CT065-P03 · Photographs · Taken on 10 April 2010

LillinonahTrail SouthernLakeWithDam2

Lillinonah Trail.

Reuse permitted under CC BY-SA 3.0; credit the creator, link the license, and identify changes. Adapted images must be shared under the same license. Image supplied at web resolution; no editorial changes to the source image. 500px web thumbnail after source throttled larger image.

LillinonahTrail SouthernLakeWithDam2Credit: H. Morrow Long / CC BY-SA 3.0. Cite SGC SGC-CT065-065, CT065-P03, source title, page and URL; accessed 2026-09-12.

ED-C-image-pass-017 · Photographs · 2010-02-07

BBHTZoarTrailPryddenFalls1

Ice-covered cascade at Prydden Falls. Frozen Prydden Falls above the mouth of Prydden Brook on Lake Zoar.

Zoar Trail, Lower Paugussett State Forest, Newtown. Do not confuse with the distinct Paugussett Trail. Exactfalls geolocation corroborated by CFPA and CTDEEP, beyond visual matching. Display copy optimized for the web with proportional resizing and compression. The linked repository identifies the original image. Reuse: CC BY-SA 3.0

BBHTZoarTrailPryddenFalls1Credit: H. Morrow Long / Wikimedia Commons; creator's original upload or named collection. Cite SGC SGC-CT065-065, ED-C-image-pass-017, source title, page and URL; accessed 2026-09-12.

ED-C-image-pass-018 · Photographs · 2010-02-07

BBHTZoarTrailPryddenFalls2

Winter stream and lower falls area at Prydden Brook. Frozen falls at the Lake Zoar shore where Prydden Brook enters the lake.

A second viewpoint, four minutes after the first per camera metadata. Zoar Trail, Lower Paugussett State Forest. The lake itself is not prominent; this is a second distinct nearby frame. Display copy optimized for the web with proportional resizing and compression. The linked repository identifies the original image. Reuse: CC BY-SA 3.0

BBHTZoarTrailPryddenFalls2Credit: H. Morrow Long / Wikimedia Commons; creator's original upload or named collection. Cite SGC SGC-CT065-065, ED-C-image-pass-018, source title, page and URL; accessed 2026-09-12.