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Barkhamsted, Connecticut: A Reservoir, a Chair Factory and a Lighthouse

Barkhamsted, Connecticut

Pictures from Barkhamsted

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Saville Dam gatehouse Riverton General Store Barkhamsted Reservoir

Barkhamsted was among the last Connecticut towns European colonists settled: the colony's 1756 census counted just 18 residents, still only 250 by 1774. Windsor proprietors received the land in a 1732 colonial reorganization and divided it into five lots among 108 shareholders; the town applied for incorporation in 1774 but wasn't recognized until 1779, taking its name from Berkhamsted, England, home to many early settlers. Around 1740, Mary "Molly" Barber and James Chaugham, a Narragansett man, founded a mixed-race settlement on the Farmington River that stagecoach drivers nicknamed "the Lighthouse" for the light from their home. In 1819, Lambert Hitchcock opened a chair factory pioneering interchangeable parts in the village that became Hitchcocksville, renamed Riverton in 1866. The Metropolitan District Commission later flooded Barkhamsted Hollow for the 30-billion-gallon Barkhamsted Reservoir, completed in 1944 and costing roughly 1,000 residents their homes.

  1. 3,000 riverside acres with a CCC-built Nature Museum and the Lighthouse site.

  2. Trails and riverside camping across the Farmington from Peoples.

  3. MDC-run boating and fishing below Saville Dam; swimming currently closed.

  4. The historical society's headquarters, open Wednesdays and Sundays.

  5. An 18th-century mixed-race settlement, now a State Archaeological Preserve.

  6. A Gothic stone gatehouse over a 30-billion-gallon reservoir.

  7. A Route 44 roadside institution since 1973.

  8. A casual cafe and bar with Sunday live music.

  9. Dining inside the Old Riverton Inn in Riverton village.

  10. A village deli steps from the Farmington River.

  11. Ten rooms in a building dating to 1796, Barkhamsted's only lodging.

A lighthouse village and a chair factory

Long before Hitchcocksville existed, the Lighthouse community survived on the Farmington River in poverty until the mid-1800s, its cellar holes and gravestones now protected within Peoples State Forest as a State Archaeological Preserve. Lambert Hitchcock's 1819 chair factory pioneered mass-produced interchangeable parts, and the mill village he built renamed itself Riverton in 1866; the Old Riverton Inn, originally Ives Tavern and dating from 1796, still anchors the village. Squire's Tavern, the Barkhamsted Historical Society's headquarters, also stewards Merrill Tavern and the Center Schoolhouse.

Getting there

Barkhamsted is car country in the Litchfield Hills: U.S. Route 44 crosses the town's southwestern corner, with state Routes 20, 181, 219 and 318 branching off to reach Pleasant Valley, Riverton, Lake McDonough and the state forests. There is no rail station and no public transportation in town — the automobile is the principal way to get around, and the nearest CTrail Hartford Line and Amtrak stop is Hartford Union Station.

Two forests on the Farmington River

Peoples State Forest and American Legion State Forest sit across the West Branch Farmington River from each other, together offering hiking, fishing, canoeing and the region's best cross-country skiing and snowmobiling; Peoples' stone Nature Museum, built by the CCC in 1935, keeps seasonal hours. Below Saville Dam, the Metropolitan District Commission runs Lake McDonough for boating and fishing, though its swimming beach remains closed for a lifeguard shortage. In Riverton, the Royal Coachman Tavern serves the Old Riverton Inn's dining room, and the Riverton General Store makes sandwiches a short walk from both.

Frequently asked questions

How do I get to Barkhamsted?
By car — U.S. Route 44 crosses the southwestern corner of town, with state Routes 20, 181, 219 and 318 branching off it. There's no passenger rail station or public transportation in Barkhamsted; the nearest CTrail Hartford Line and Amtrak stop is Hartford Union Station.
What was "the Lighthouse"?
A mixed-race community founded around 1740 by Mary "Molly" Barber, a white woman from Wethersfield, and James Chaugham, a Narragansett man from Block Island. Stagecoach drivers nicknamed it for the light from their home; the site survived, largely in poverty, until the mid-1800s and is now a protected State Archaeological Preserve within Peoples State Forest.
Can I swim at Lake McDonough?
Not currently — the swimming and beach area remains closed due to a lifeguard shortage. Boating (10 mph limit) and fishing are open, with day and season passes sold on-site.
Is the Peoples State Forest Nature Museum open?
Yes, seasonally and free of charge: Memorial Day through mid-June, Saturday and Sunday 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; mid-June through Labor Day, Friday-Monday 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; Labor Day through mid-October, Saturday and Sunday 10 a.m.-4 p.m. It's closed roughly mid-October through Memorial Day.
Where can I eat and stay in Barkhamsted?
The Log House Restaurant has served Route 44 since 1973, and Brass Horse Cafe pairs a full kitchen with Sunday-afternoon live music. In Riverton, the Royal Coachman Tavern serves the Old Riverton Inn's restaurant, and the inn itself — ten rooms in a building dating from 1796 — is the town's only lodging.

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