Westbrook in Lower Connecticut River Valley Region, Connecticut — The American Northeast (New England)
Welcome to Kirtland Landing
Photographed by Conrad Ward, January 2024
1. Welcome to Kirtland Landing Marker
Gateway to the Menunketesuck River and the Stewart B. McKinney National Wildlife Refuge
Kirtland Landing has been providing people access to the beautiful Menunketesuck River for decades. The landing traces its name back to the 18th and early 19th centuries when Westbrook was divided into school districts. The landing was located in the Kirtland School District. The district was named after a prominent family who owned homes and farms nearby. One of the family members, Lieutenant (later Captain) Martin Kirtland, trained troops during the American Revolution and commanded Fort Saybrook.
Kirtland Landing was refurbished in 2022 by a partnership between the Town of Westbrook, the National Highways Administration and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Funding came from the Federal Lands Access Program. The refurbished landing will continue providing a gateway to the river for boating, kayaking, fishing, crabbing, wildlife viewing, photography and other pastimes. Just 2,000 feet downstream is the Salt Meadow Unit of Stewart B. McKinney National Wildlife Refuge, where visitors have an opportunity to see birds - like herons,
this page online
Erected by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Waterways & Vessels.
Location. 41° 17.27′ N, 72° 29.532′ W. Marker is in Westbrook in Lower Connecticut River Valley Region, Connecticut. It is on Old Clinton Road (Connecticut Route 145) north of Grove Beach Road ( Route 625), on the left when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Westbrook CT 06498, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Connecticut River Valley and on the Connecticut Shoreline. It is also in the American Northeast, in New England, and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what
Photographed by Conrad Ward, April 13, 2024
2. Welcome to Kirtland Landing Marker and the Menunketesuck River
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Chapmans Pond (approx. half a mile away); Beaver Brook Cemetery Veterans Monument (approx. 0.6 miles away); Salt Meadow Trail System (approx. one mile away); Lape-Read House (approx. one mile away); Enoch Murdock House (approx. 1.1 miles away); Clinton Soldiers Monument (approx. 1½ miles away); This Cannon (approx. 1½ miles away); Lafayette's Tour (approx. 1.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Westbrook.
Credits. This page was last revised on May 19, 2026. It was originally submitted on June 30, 2024, by Conrad Ward of Guilford, Connecticut. This page has been viewed 634 times since then and 91 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 30, 2024, by Conrad Ward of Guilford, Connecticut. • Michael Herrick was the editor who published this page.
