In the late 1800s, Ehrick Rossiter (1854-1941) saw the beauty of the Shepaug River Valley and bought land, including the famous Steep Rock hillside. He built carriage roads connecting scenic views, creating a retreat called Steep Rock Park. After enjoying Steep Rock park for nearly 40 years, Rossiter founded a land trust in 1925 to preserve its riverside slopes. Today, his 360-acre retreat is the heart of the 5,800-acre Steep Rock Association.
Carol Santoleri’s presentation, Rossiter’s Riverside Retreat, tells the history of Steep Rock Park as it grew into a recreational park-in-the-forest. Using photographs from the Gunn Historical Museum, Carol will discuss how the land trust flourished in Washington, Connecticut, over the last 100 years.
Carol is the author of The History of Steep Rock Association: The Jewel in the Crown (2020). A landscape historian and photographer, she has spent 25 years hiking the trails of Steep Rock Preserve. With a fine arts degree in landscape architecture from Rhode Island School of Design and a master’s in landscape history from Columbia University, Carol brings both artistic and research-driven insights to her work.
