Stone Museum

The Peoples State Forest Nature Museum

The Peoples State Forest Nature Museum was built in 1934 by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) as a museum for Camp White and for the people of the state.

The outside of the building and the fireplace are local field stone taken from old stone walls. All inside woodwork is American chestnut which was salvaged from the trees killed by the chestnut blight. Ironwork was produced by the Camp White blacksmith. The building architect was Robert Linehard, carpenter was Robert Loughlin, and the mason was August Casciani.

The museum is open every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from Memorial Day through Columbus Day. A display board with trail maps and forest information has been provided through grants from the Society of American Foresters to assist forest visitors when the museum is closed.

Displays

Reopened in 1992, the museum exhibits mounted taxidermy specimens of many mammals and birds that are common in the forest. Most of these specimens were road kills. Freshwater fish specimens are also displayed.

Display cases in the museum include artifacts from the Barkhamsted Light House site, animal skulls, Connecticut-found rocks and minerals, and an insect collection. A light-up display board helps to identify animal tracks and plant species. Live amphibians are displayed subject to availability. Photographs identify local flora and fauna.

Dioramas

In the 1930s, 250 men occupied Camp White, a Civilian Conservation Corp camp on West River Road. Some of the projects of the camp were building the museum, trails, and roads in the forest, and planting many of our forest trees. The layout of Camp White is illustrated in a diorama.

Trails

Pictured here are two of the trails which leave from the museum parking lot. The orange blaze indicates the Agnes Bowen, a 2.5 mile trail. The blue blaze is the Robert Ross trail covering 2 miles. In all, there are six major trails that cover approximately 10 miles in Peoples State Forest. These trails wend their way through hilly terrain, past scenic streams and interesting historic sites. See the Trails page for more descriptions.