Ruby and Elizabeth Cohen Woodlands

The Ruby and Elizabeth Cohen Woodlands is a park located on McDonald Road in Colchester, Connecticut. This park consists of 121 acres of natural space and includes such facilities as a gazebo, picnic tables, and hiking trails. There are two ponds on the property in addition to marshland.

History

Ruby Cohen was a prominent member of Colchester's society who lived from 1911 to 1999. His significance began when he purchased "Harry's Place" in 1925. To this day, Harry's Place is still a successful roadside burger stand. Harry's Place is on the National Register of Historic Places and is the remnant of seven hotels created by Baron Maurice de Hirsch, financier of the Orient Express. Maurice de Hirsch recoqnized Colchester's potential as a settlement for Jewish immigrants, which is the reason he opened the hotels. Ruby Cohen retired in 1973. Ruby Cohen's former house is visible from the woodlands and is located across from the gazebo on the opposite side of the pond in the picture below.

Ruby Cohen served in the Connecticut House of Representatives in 1943 and would often serve as a political advisor to the people within his town of Colchester. He would hold court sessions in his barn and open up his woodland preserve to a variety of occasions such as fishing derbies, weddings, and Boy Scout campouts. This preserve has now become the Ruby and Elizabeth Cohen Woodlands under direction of the Colchester Parks and Recreation Department.

Description and Usage

The majority of the Ruben and Elizabeth Cohen Woodlands, typically called the Ruby Cohen Property, is heavily covered by trees. However, many acres consist as grassy open space, divided by McDonald Road. Two ponds exist on the property, on either side of the road. A small pond is on one side of the road whereas a larger pond, visible in the picture below is on the other side.

Many students from Bacon Academy, Colchester's high school, use this property as a location to perform a variety of projects. Two projects visible on the property include an information kiosk on invasive species found in the ponds on the property as well as a nature trail detailing the types of trees growing on the property.

There are many other parks within the Town of Colchester including Day Pond State Park, Salmon River State Forest, Schuster Park, and Airline State Park. The Air Line Trail used to be the path of a railway. The tracks have been removed and the land area was converted into a trail used today for walking, running, and biking.