In the late 1800s a bridge was built from here over West Brook to what was called "Paradise." The bridge provided Mr. Cutting with a direct route to the South Side Sportsmen's Club, where he was a member. The bridge was built with locally cut locust trees so it would blend well with its natural environment. At 250 feet long and 20 feet wide, the bridge had ample room for a horse-drawn carriage and later cars. In later years, Mrs. Cutting drove her electric car across the bridge to have lunch at the South Side Sportsmen's Club.
The shores on each end of the bridge were planted with a variety of flowers. Mrs. Cutting was fond of walking here on the trails; it was the only area of the Cutting estate that remained in its natural state. When the Cutting's daughter, Olivia, was taken here as a little girl, she exclaimed, "This is Paradise!" After that, both the family and the staff referred to the area by that name. The locust bridge was dismantled in the early 1960s. At low tide, the remains of the wooden support structure can still be seen.
Comments 0 comments