Pine Creek History
1700’s - Today
1700’s
The Burning of Fairfield during the American Revolution Was Launched From Pine Creek Beach
On July 7, 1779, the British invasion came in late afternoon when the troops disembarked at McKenzie’s Point (at what is now South Pine Creek Beach), and marched along the beach, heading northeast. When they came to the lane that is now Fairfield Beach Road, they marched inland toward the center of the town. As they came within range of cannons at Black Rock Fort, Isaac Jarvis, the fort’s commander, ordered his men to fire on the troops. Local militia near the town center opened fire with muskets.
Undaunted by the attack, British General Tryon set up headquarters in a home on Fairfield Beach Road. By the end of the day, 97 homes, 67 barns, 48 stores, 2 schools, a courthouse, 2 meetinghouses and the county jail had been destroyed. When President George Washington visited the town a decade later, he noted that the devastation could still be seen and that “there are the chimneys of many burnt houses standing.”
1800’s
Pine Creek is Fairfield’s oldest public shorefront retreat.
In the 1800’s the residents on the north shore of the beach relied on rowboats to get deliveries including drinking water, which had to be carted by pail from the other side of Pine Creek.
Early 1900’s
By the early 1900’s Pine Creek had become a year-round community centered around the many recreational activities of the waterway. Following World War II, Pine Creek became a popular area for summer cottages.
1938
There was a windmill at the mouth of Pine Creek that was destroyed by the Great New England Hurricane, a Category 3 storm that struck on September 21, 1938. In Fairfield, thirty cottages were destroyed at the extreme western end of Fairfield Beach, and more than fifty people were evacuated by boat from flooded homes. Marooned residents at Pine Creek and Fairfield Beach witnessed lashing 15-foot waves that threw angry white caps with terrific force a quarter mile from the beach. Volunteer rescuers waded up to their necks in chilly waters, pulling boats filled with evacuees to safety.
1950’s
Elizabeth Taylor was a regular visitor to Pine Creek where her Uncle Jack Taylor and Aunt “Chubby” lived on Old Dam Road. There, she fished for crabs with a neighboring teenager on the creek. She continued to spend summers on the creek even after she had become a famous star for her role in National Velvet. This photo was taken by a local teenager that spotted her in Uncle Jack’s old wooden rowboat, poling along at low tide with a net in hand, catching Blue Point crabs and she graciously agreed to have this photo taken.
Jack Taylor was a retired art dealer who lived in a handsome apple-green home amidst the summer colony on Old Dam Road. Elizabeth continued to visit her Uncle Jack until he passed away on June 5, 1994, at the age of 100. In 1992, a Fairfield builder bought the Jack Taylor estate, tore down the house, and built three large colonials on the site.
Late 1900’s
Historically, much of the wetlands adjoining Pine Creek were filled for development of Town facilities such as the wastewater treatment plant, Town landfill, and public works garage or cut off from the Creek’s flow by flood control dikes. The resulting environmental damage destroyed the original salt marsh system of Pine Creek.
In the 1970’s the Town, State and Federal governments worked together to construct a system of dikes and self-regulating tidal gates to provide the daily tidal flow needed to support a healthy marsh system. With the tidal flow restored, the salt marsh made a remarkable recovery and today it supports a healthy variety of plant, animal, bird and fish life. In addition to the ecological values, the Pine Creek Watershed provides important recreational opportunities for boating, fishing, swimming and hiking. The ecological health of this wetlands restoration success story depends on the amount of tidal flow that can pass through the Pine Creek Channel and the Town’s ability to maintain the new system that they created.
Today
Today, the Pine Creek neighborhood is tremendous community asset for the Town of Fairfield and provides a remarkable balance of recreational, environmental and residential values.
Pine Creek Beach
Pine Creek Boating
The salt marsh
Open space hiking trails
Pine Creek golf course
Public tennis courts
Baseball fields
Soccer fields
Football field
A recreation center
A senior center
