Video courtesy of Kristina Kasper.
A Centennial History of Hawk’s Nest Beach!
In 1895 Charles Garvin purchased waterfront property and built a log cabin for his family and a few bungalows for his greater Hartford friends. To reach the cabins they traveled by steamer to the Old Lyme ferry landing or by train to the nearest stop at Black Hall Station. A farmer from White Sands area carried the people to Hawk’s Nest Beach by horse and wagon along a cart path that is now Shore Road. The Black Hall Station was eventually moved to HNB and was slightly renovated to become cottage S12. In 1910, Charles Garvin constructed a community store for the convenience of the summer residents, and in the modern form, is still the center of activity at the beach.
In very early days the beach was named after seven huge hawks’ nests in the nearby woods. Today fish hawks live in the neighboring marshes and you can see them swoop along the water catching fish in their talons.
In spite of the devastating hurricane of 1938 and others that followed, one of the earliest summer places in Old Lyme grew into a well kept, family owned summer rental community. The resort is currently being run by the fourth and fifth generations of Charles Garvin.
