Old Lyme in Lower Connecticut River Valley Region, Connecticut — The American Northeast (New England)
The Woodlands
Photographed by Conrad Ward, January 18, 2025
1. The Woodlands Marker
As a buffer between the Griswold family's farm fields and Lyme Street, this area of the property was historically somewhat overgrown. Photos from the Museum's archives show that artists set their easels up in the woodland for a good view of their beloved Griswold House. Florence Griswold strolled at the woodland's edge by the Mile Brook, which separates this property from that of the Lyme Art Association. To visit the brook yourself, look for the signs pointing toward the Lyme Art Association.
Today, native plantings restore the shaded character of this part of the estate, with cooling ferns, anemones, and mountain laurel like that which attracted painters to Old Lyme late each spring. In the 1930s, Lyme Colony artist William S. Robinson leased a studio from Miss Florence, a wooden shed which until the 1980s stood near where the path curves. Future plans for restoring the Museum's historic landscape include marking the site of the Robinson studio and extending this path to connect it to the meadow along the Lieutenant River. To improve our site's ecology, the parking areas will be planted with thickets
this page online
(left image)
Florence Griswold near Mile Brook, ca. 1906. Lyme Historical Society Archives, Florence Griswold Museum, 70018.56
(middle image)
Will Howe Foote, A Summer's Night, ca. 1906. Oil on canvas, 34 x 30 in. Florence Griswold Museum, Gift of the Artist, 1954.7
(right image)
Unidentified artist, Arthur Heming painting by Mile Brook, ca. 1904. Lyme Historical Society Archives, Florence Griswold Museum, 70018.144
Erected by Florence Griswold Museum.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • Environment • Horticulture & Forestry. A significant historical year for this entry is 1906.
Location. 41° 19.525′ N, 72° 19.626′ W. Marker is in Old Lyme in Lower Connecticut River Valley Region, Connecticut. It is on Lyme Street (Interstate 1) north of Interstate 95, on the right when traveling south. Located on the grounds of the Florence Griswold Museum. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Old Lyme CT 06371, United States
Photographed by Conrad Ward, January 18, 2025
2. The Woodlands Marker
Regionally, this marker is on the Connecticut Shoreline, in Greater New London, in Mystic and the Eastern Shore, and in the Thames River Valley. 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 was once New London County and also one of the original Thirteen Colonies.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Crusa (within shouting distance of this marker); Temperance Freeman (within shouting distance of this marker); Harry Freeman (within shouting distance of this marker); Samuel (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); Nancy Freeman (about 600 feet away); Temperance Still (about 600 feet away); Jane (about 600 feet away); Jack (about 600 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Old Lyme.
Credits. This page was last revised on May 19, 2026. It was originally submitted on August 5, 2025, by Conrad Ward of Guilford, Connecticut. This page has been viewed 72 times since then and 7 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on August 5, 2025, by Conrad Ward of Guilford, Connecticut. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
