Bunnell's Pond, Bridgeport, Fairfield Co, CT

Bunnell’s Pond sits in Beardsley Park and the Beardsley Park Zoological Gardens in Bridgeport, CT. It is formed by a dam on the Pequonnock River. Ray Cassidy of Fairfield Co wrote that:

“I don't know who Bunnell Pond was named after, but the original dam was washed out on July 29-30, 1905. The second dam was rebuilt on a much larger scale which created Bunnell Pond. Ice was harvested from the Pond for many years. A huge ice house standing next to the dam burned in the '30s, as I recall, and nearly took many of the houses in the neighborhood with it. The fire could be seen for miles. As a child, my wife lived a block away from it, across from Beardsley Park; and she still recalls how she and her brothers put out flying embers that showered the neighborhood.

I used to swim in the Pond and off of the dam in the summer and skate on it during the winter. It was a dangerous place to swim. Several people drowned in it over the years, among them a good friend of mine.”

Does anyone know the history of the naming of the pond? I'd appreciate a (non-copyrighted) photo or two to add to this website.

If you have information or a photoabout the pond and would like to share it please contact Charlie.

Updated 6 June 2005