Wethersfield Cove
The Connecticut River has meandered over time in its base of loose sediment crdeated by glacial Lake Hitchcock and Wethersfield Cove was once a deep bend in the river. Here, early settlers se aside land for a common and a public landing place. The first vessel built for the Connecticut Colony, the TRYALL, was launched here in 1649 and voyaged to the West Indies in search of markets for local produce that later included the red onion. Before 1691 the Town granted land for six warehouses and althoughy the cannel began to move westward after the flood of 1692, the Cove served as a port of delivery through the 1830s. Dredging and highway projects have since narrowed the Cove entrance.
Over time the Cove fisheries provided salmon, shad, alewives and the shore was lined with fish houses for processing the catch. Local farmers also harvested ice before the water quality delined in the eary 1900s. Home to 1908 yacht club and early rowing clubs, the Cove remains an imprtant community asset for boating ice skating and fishing.
(This text comes from a sign posted by the town at the Wethersfield Cove)