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FRIENDS OF TOPSMEAD STATE FOREST
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    • Topsmead State Forest Map
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Friends of Topsmead State Forest

Discover a hidden treasure in the Litchfield hills of Connecticut
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Quick Links
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> Projects/Volunteer Opportunities
> Visitor Information & Trail Maps 
​(State Forest and Ecology Maps)
> Memorial Tree Program

​> Project Wish List
> CT Dept of Energy & Environmental Protection (DEEP)
​> Covid-19 Guidelines for State Forests
​
> Frequently Asked Questions
> Friends of Topsmead Board 2021-2022
Your donations to Friends of Topsmead will help preserve Topsmead's past for the future by:
  • Expanding/maintaining the butterfly and cottage gardens
  • Monitoring and maintaining of the songbird nesting boxes
  • Building a boardwalk over the wetlands on the Ecology Trail
  • Cleaning and restoring furniture in the Chase Cottage
  • Hiring a restoration specialist to repair the large painting over the mantle in the Cottage living room
  • Adding benches to the Welcome Center and trails
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If you enjoy our newsletter and Topsmead, please consider becoming a member or making a donation. We rely on these funds for our projects and programs.
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Special Holiday feature: Edith Chase's brother Rodney sent out clever and engaging holiday cards to family and friends. Take a peek by clicking this link!
Courtesy of Bob Orintas
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Rear view of Chase Cottage. Drawing by Schell Lewis 1924
In 1917, Edith Morton Chase received a gift from her father, 16 acres of pristine woods in the Litchfield hills.  Today, Topsmead is a 510 acre state forest, gifted from Ms. Chase in 1972 to the citizens of Connecticut to enjoy and preserve. Her legacy includes diverse landscapes, including bike and nature trails, formal gardens, unique bird habitats, and a meticulously crafted English Tudor style cottage well appointed with her international collection of art and antiques.​ ​...more
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Our Mission
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Friends of Topsmead State Forest  (FTSF) is a volunteer non-profit 501(c)(3) organization whose purpose is to work with the State of Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection (DEEP) to provide programs and activities to promote, preserve, protect, and maintain the history, heritage and environmental integrity of Topsmead, thereby supporting the wishes of Edith Morton Chase as put forth in her will.
Become a Friend of Topsmead

Topsmead Events &Activities

REMEMBERING TOPSMEAD

Conversations with
Bob Orintas
Robert Orintas


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Topsmead Neighbors and

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Land Acquisitions

Miss Edith maintained contact with the families who owned property adjacent to Topsmead and made many purchases of their property to add to her Topsmead holdings. They would visit and maintained casual, neighborly relations.

One neighbor was the Beirne family, who lived on the north side of East Litchfield Road where Jefferson Hill Road intersected, before Route 118 was built. There was Martin Beirne, his wife Mary, two daughters, Peggy and Eileen as well as Martin’s sister Winifred, who we called Winnie. I have an old photograph showing the two girls at my brother’s first birthday party in September of 1933 at Underhill. Miss Edith bought two pieces of land from Martin. The first, in 1926 was a 32 acre field south of Jefferson Hill where the butterfly garden and bird viewing blind are now located. A second piece was purchased in 1936 that was the old Beirne farm adjacent to their house and land; it was about 46 acres.  It had a house and several barns and outbuildings. The house eventually became the gardener’s house occupied by Alec and Eva Derouin.
 > read more
Musing from Top o' the Meadow
by Margaret Hunt


TAKING STOCK  | January 2023
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Photos by Margaret Hunt


On my First Day walkabout at Topsmead this morning, I took stock of the state of the landscape to see how all things Topsmead were looking for the start of 2023.  DEEP staff and FTSF volunteers have been hard at work.  Many corners of the landscape are cleaned up and tidy, ready for what winter will bring.  Other corners are still making plenty of work for the DEEP clean-up crew.
 
The main driveways are outlined with snow markers ready for the arrival of the winter snowshoe and cross-country ski crowd.  The parking area upgrade is finished, with its low-visibility expansion and newly installed wooden borders that define the line between the adjoining fields and parked cars.   The house and butterfly gardens are peacefully a-slumber for the winter beneath their earthen blanket.  Outbuildings and barns are shuttered up tight except for those that house the winter clean-up machines and equipment.

 -read complete Musings essay-
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Ways to Support Topsmead

Donate

Provide or Sponsor an Item on our
Project Wish List!

Plants, mulch, benches, cleaning supplies, etc.
​ see entire list here
Topsmead in winter photo by Tom Holzel
  • Home
  • Events
  • Donate
    • Friends of Topsmead General Fund
    • Memorial Tree Fund
  • Projects/Volunteer
  • History
    • Remembering Topsmead
  • Membership
  • Contact
  • Musings
  • Visitor Info
    • Topsmead State Forest Map
  • FAQ
  • Chase Family Holiday Cards