The History of Preserving Haley Farm

Whether a hiking enthusiast, a history aficionado or a resident, most locals are familiar with the scenic beauty of Haley Farm, a 257 acre coastal preserve.  Now imagine this coastline property defiled with 400 multi-family military units, and ponder this as a fate which almost came to fruition in the 1960’s, if not for a few key individuals. 

Once a working farm and summer retreat owned by New York Fulton Fish Company owner Caleb Haley, Haley coined the property his own personal “yacht”.

The property was a playscape for Haley, who loved racing horses and building miles of stone walls.  Also known as a long standing dairy farm, it produced hay, vegetables and wood.   

Haley purchased the land in 1886, and it remained in the family until Haley’s daughter sold the inherited farm to a developer in 1953. The developer erected the Mumford Cove Estates housing development and decided to sell the remaining property of 250 acres. Algernon-Blair, a development company located in Alabama with an option to purchase the land, attempted to have the acreage rezoned to accommodate multi-family military rentals.

Hundreds of local residents wrote letters and signed petitions opposing zoning changes that would have allowed the development of multi-family military rentals.  In 1965, Noank resident Sidney Van Zandt and Priscilla Pratt started the Groton Open Space Association (GOSA), and with the help of Connecticut Forrest and Park Association, established a united voice to preserve Haley Farm.

Saving the property was one part public interest and one part capital. The property was available to the town for $300,000: $50,000 was to be raised by the town, $100,000 by the state and $150,000 by the federal government.  Without the town’s financial commitment in full, the deal was off.

The land was for sale on the open market, and the GOSA worked with the state to promote their purchase of the land for a state park and show local interest so they would buy it.

Under the organization of GOSA’s President Sidney Van Zandt, the “Save the Haley Farm” movement began and scads of events from 1965 to 1970 were organized to raise money for the town’s portion of the purchase.  Individuals, churches, organizations and businesses got involved with suppers, spaghetti dinners, rock concerts, bake sales, smorgasbords and more.

“We hired lawyer Belton Copp and fought with the help of Mort Wright, who was an elected representative,” says Van Zandt.

Van Zandt moved to the area from New York in the 50’s, and was raised as an activist and childhood forest explorer.  Copp, the pro-bono lawyer who won the preservation case of the Mianus River Gorge after it was considered for development as an impending UN site, taught her to fight for the worthy cause. 

Van Zandt and her husband were passing through the area on their honeymoon in 1954, and thought it an idyllic and scenic spot to run a business.  They purchased and restored a condemned Noank house destroyed by the 1938 hurricane, and opened a sail making business on the third floor of Universal Market in Noank.

With Haley Farm in close proximity, the preservation was important to Van Zandt.

“None of us were willing to consider we would lose this battle,” she says.

On Friday, July 17, 1970, the funds had been raised in their entirety by GOSA and the sale of Haley Farm to the town was complete.  The battle caught the attention of Life magazine and that same summer an article was published giving Van Zandt much credit for saving a precious parcel of Connecticut land.

Over the years, she has helped preserved over 1,000 acres of open space in Groton.  Van Zandt has stepped down and is now vice president of GOSA.  But she is still fighting local battles to keep our legacy of history and valuable open space intact for all to enjoy.