Roton Point History

With almost clairvoyant insight into the future of Roton Pont, Neville Bayley purchased, in the mid-20’s, all the park’s property from the Connecticut Railway & Lighting Company, the operators of the trolley line. Immediately thereafter, more rides, chance booths and a variety of new attractions were added, and people continued to flock to the park in growing numbers, both over land and by water.

In 1925, the park’s management had their own excursion steamer, the Belle Island, built for their exclusive use. Many people thought that she was the prettiest of all the steamers servicing the park, and she continued to be used until the park was permanently closed. A rival company even built a second pier out from the far end of the west beach to accommodate the growing excursion traffic, and to this day, many people don’t realize that a second pier ever existed.

The park continued to change and expand. Dinning facilities were enlarged to seat hundreds on the hotel porch, and the west grove was filled with picnic tables to accommodate up to five hundred at one sitting. Also added were a fortune teller, a weight guesser’s booth and even a fish pond. The favorite foods sold from the refreshments stands were hot dogs, ice cream, taffy, popcorn and cotton candy. There were weekly vaudeville shows, and animal acts were a big attraction. The rides in the mid-way were upgraded to include an airplane ride, whip and bumper cars, among many others.

The first roller coaster extended all along the edge of the west beach, and although a fun ride, it was rather sedate. In the early 30’s, the far end of the west beach was sold to become what is now Rowayton Beach and the Wee Burn Club. To accommodate this change, the old ride was replaced by a shorter, but more precipitous "breath-taker"; the original starting and finishing platform now serves as the bath house for the present Bayley Beach.

Fireworks, beauty contests and band concerts were weekly events, and the resulting traffic and noise were not easy to live with. The merry-go-round’s giant organ banged away incessantly, and the roller coaster riders screeched without restraint. With the growth of the motor car and with buses replacing trolleys, local traffic increased alarmingly; at one time, there were sixty buses parked on the property. "People of means" chose to live in Tokeneke and Wilson Point, leaving the "less well off" to comprise most of the local community.

Dances and dance competitions were held from the earliest days of the pavilion, and endurance contests, with generous prizes, were very popular. Nationally known big bands were scheduled for Sunday nights, and thousands turned out to see and hear them. All the famous bands made an appearance….Glen Miller, the Dorsey brothers, Eddie Duchin, Bunny Berriagn, Guy Lombardo, Wayne King, Cab Calloway and Duke Ellington, just to name a few.

Beauty contests were an annual event, and for years, "Miss Connecticut" was selected at Roton Point before going on to Atlantic City.

The hurricane of 1938 did a tremendous amount of damage. Especially hard hit were the rides in the mid-way, and most of them were never restored. This event marked the beginning of the end for the park. As World War II approached, fuel rationing crippled the 1941 season, and all the excursion boats were taken for the war effort. The park was then closed…never to re-open again.

After the closing, the assets were sold piecemeal. Ten acres of land, just east of Wee Burn, were acquired by Rowayton’s Sixth Taxing District for $30,00 and have become the present Bayley Beach. The remaining thirteen acres…representing the present configuration of Roton Point…were offered to the residents of New Canaan for $45,000, but this was rejected by that town’s residents. The events that happened next will bring us up to the present…. but more about that next time…

Please note that most of what has been discussed here can be seen in pictures by clicking here.

The above information was submitted by the History Committee, with specific reference to "Rowayton On The Half Shell", Frank E. Raymond, Phoenix Publishing, 1990.