Common Ground | west Rock Ridge

WEST ROCK RIDGE

Common Ground is located on 20 acres of land at the base of West Rock Ridge State Park. West Rock forms the dramatic backdrop for our site, and is our best classroom for the study of natural and human history. Common Ground is currently partnering with the Peabody Museum to interpret our physical site, building on a nature trail first developed by the Civillian Conservation Corps in the 1930s, and re-charted by Common Ground students in the last decade.

West Rock Ridge was formed about 200 million years ago, when volcanic activity pushed a massive rib of basalt above the rolling New Haven landscape. Following the last ice age, the ridge was carpeted with dense deciduous forests, some of which remain in old growth to this day. These forests were historically inhabited by animals from large cats to rodents. As recently as the 1800s, West Rock was a popular spot for hunting bears and other large game. And even today, Common Ground staff and students often startle deer, wild turkeys, and coyote as they climb the hill up to the school building.

Since West Rock Ridge’s prehistoric roots, humans have played the prominent role in shaping the ridge environment. For thousands of years before the present, Native Americans occupied the ridge, leaving behind a variety of stone artifacts. The first Dutch explorers to sail into New Haven harbor noted West Rock and its partner to the East, naming the area for these red rock bluffs. With permanent European settlement, Native Americans were pushed away from the ridge and onto reservation land – the first reservation in U.S. history. The ridge was still a vast wilderness when Goffe and Whalley – judges who had sentenced Charles I to death in England – hid for several months in the cave near West Rock’s summit.

Through the 1800s, the treeline crept back to make way for farming and settlement. Visitors to West Rock can still see the remains of this agricultural past: the farm house on Common Ground’s site, stone walls snaking through the woods, an old cistern just to the West of school. A spring still flows between the garden and school building, a source for clean water for generations of West Rock residents.

In the 1900s, as farming became less profitable, the forests returned and West Rock Park was formed through a donation by Samuel Baldwin. The paved road through the park shows the careful workmanship and vast physical effort of the Civilian Conservation Corps during the Great Depression, and made the park more accessible to thousands of visitors. From the 1950s through the 80s, the road and park were a hideaway on the edge of the city – used by secretive couples, criminals, and others for legal and extra-legal purposes.

When Common Ground arrived at West Rock a decade ago, students’ and staff’s first job was to clear years of refuse from the site to make way for the farm and school. Today, West Rock is cleaner and widely used by hikers and naturalists. Common Ground forms a gateway to the Ridge, along with the West Rock Nature Center.


	West rock ridge WEST ROCK RIDGE Common Ground is located on 20 acres of land at the base of West Rock Ridge State Park. West Rock forms the dramatic backdrop for our site, and is our best classroom for the study of natural and human history. Common Ground is currently partnering with the Peabody Museum to interpret our physical site, building on a nature trail first developed by the Civillian Conservation Corps in the 1930s, and re-charted by Common Ground students in the last decade. West Rock Ridge was formed about 200 million years ago, when volcanic activity pushed a massive rib of basalt above the rolling New Haven landscape. Following the last ice age, the ridge was carpeted with dense deciduous forests, some of which remain in old growth to this day. These forests were historically inhabited by animals from large cats to rodents. As recently as the 1800s, West Rock was a popular spot for hunting bears and other large game. And even today, Common Ground staff and students often startle deer, wild turkeys, and coyote as they climb the hill up to the school building. Since West Rock Ridge’s prehistoric roots, humans have played the prominent role in shaping the ridge environment. For thousands of years before the present, Native Americans occupied the ridge, leaving behind a variety of stone artifacts. The first Dutch explorers to sail into New Haven harbor noted West Rock and its partner to the East, naming the area for these red rock bluffs. With permanent European settlement, Native Americans were pushed away from the ridge and onto reservation land – the first reservation in U.S. history. The ridge was still a vast wilderness when Goffe and Whalley – judges who had sentenced Charles I to death in England – hid for several months in the cave near West Rock’s summit. Through the 1800s, the treeline crept back to make way for farming and settlement. Visitors to West Rock can still see the remains of this agricultural past: the farm house on Common Ground’s site, stone walls snaking through the woods, an old cistern just to the West of school. A spring still flows between the garden and school building, a source for clean water for generations of West Rock residents. In the 1900s, as farming became less profitable, the forests returned and West Rock Park was formed through a donation by Samuel Baldwin. The paved road through the park shows the careful workmanship and vast physical effort of the Civilian Conservation Corps during the Great Depression, and made the park more accessible to thousands of visitors. From the 1950s through the 80s, the road and park were a hideaway on the edge of the city – used by secretive couples, criminals, and others for legal and extra-legal purposes. When Common Ground arrived at West Rock a decade ago, students’ and staff’s first job was to clear years of refuse from the site to make way for the farm and school. Today, West Rock is cleaner and widely used by hikers and naturalists. Common Ground forms a gateway to the Ridge, along with the West Rock Nature Center.