Nature Preserve a Hidden Gem in Heart of Boro
By Jean Fiore

STONINGTON – Shhhh. There’s a secret in the borough. Tucked behind the mansions of 
Main Street is a 2.6-acre nature preserve that borders Little Narragansett Bay. It is known 
as Dodge Paddock and Beal Preserve, two contiguous properties belonging to Avalonia 
Land Conservancy, and open to the public from dawn to dusk daily.

In recent months, Conservancy members and neighbors have extended the main pathway 
to form a circular trail along the perimeter of the paddock and preserve, affording 
inspiring vistas of village homes as well as nearby Salt Acres, Sandy and Napatree 
Points, and the outer breakwater of Stonington Harbor. 

Additionally, a new pathway winds through the center of the parcel enabling the visitor to 
delight in the whistle of wind through walls of golden grass and catch glimpses of 
cardinals and smaller avian varieties. Just offshore, waterfowl can be frequently spotted; 
and sunrise, with its many hues of pink, can be particularly pleasing from this vantage 
point.

The half-acre-plus Beal Preserve, named for the Main Street family who donated the land 
to Avalonia, runs along the west side of the parcel. The formal gardens and manicured 
lawn of the Beal family estate abut this swath of land. A private vegetable and flower 
garden on the preserve, now dormant in winter, belongs to Mrs. Beal. 

Dodge Paddock is a 2-acre tract previously owned by the Dodge family. The stately 
white Church Street mansion with its many south-facing windows, just to the north of the 
paddock, was the former Dodge family estate. 

According to Avalonia president Anne Nalwalk, citizens of the borough—led by the Beal 
Family—rallied support and secured sufficient funds to purchase the tract from Dodge 
family heirs with the intention of preserving it. Avalonia purchased the land from these 
concerned citizens in 1980 and at the same time took possession of the adjacent Beal 
property.

The paddock—which is a fitting name for the property since it is fenced in by sea wall to 
the east, an enormous and impressive retaining wall to the north, and houses to the south 
and west—was the site of a stoneware pottery works during the early 1800s run by the 
States family. Numerous pottery shards can still be found near the beginning of the 
seawall where a storm water drain empties into the harbor. 

Fine examples of the pottery may be viewed at the Old Lighthouse Museum located at 
Stonington Point and open from May 1 through October 31.

Following the demise of States Pottery, a sawmill that produced doors and window 
frames operated on site in the mid-1800s. The shorefront area, known as Kiln Wharf, was 
also a busy distribution point. The land has been free of industry since 1865 when the 
sawmill burned.

The best way to access Dodge Paddock and Beal Preserve is via Wall Street, off of Main. 
Though a small parking area exists at the end of Wall Street, it may be easier to park 
along Main or Church Streets or at the Town Dock. One can admire the architecture of 
the many historic village homes while meandering toward the paddock and preserve. 
Certainly the best way to explore the village is by foot. 

Visitors to Dodge Paddock and Beal Preserve should refrain from picking from Mrs. 
Beal’s private garden; and if accompanied by a dog, be sure to remove waste from 
pathways. Also, artifacts such as pottery shards need to remain on property.

Avalonia Land Conservancy, Incorporated, “is a land trust dedicated to the acquisition 
and conservation of natural areas,” according to its website. More than 2000 acres of land 
in southeastern Connecticut and two islands—Sandy Point, RI, and South Dumpling, 
NY—have been preserved as “perpetual open space” by the land trust since its founding 
in 1968. 

The towns of Groton, Ledyard, North Stonington, Stonington, Griswold, Preston and 
Voluntown are members of the land trust. 

For more information on Avalonia or to support its noble efforts, contact (860) 887-6786 
or access its website at avalonialandconservancy.org.