Rich Man, Poor Man - Immigrants From The 1860s Staked Out A Blue Collar “Beachhead” At Soundview.

My daughter (“step” though she may be) is very special but lives oh so far away. She always visits a couple of times per year and we both look forward to the rare but simple joy of a mellow bike ride together. Sadly we only get to do this once or twice during the Connecticut bike riding season. Invariably we often head to one of the beaches somewhere along Connecticut’s southern coastline.
As July turned into August we found ourselves heading for the very well off town of Old Lyme but our turnaround destination was a beach community known as Soundview Beach made up of small cozy rental cottages.
Claimed to be the oldest public beach in America, it was established in 1862 when Harry J. Hilliard (a Socialist) began buying up land adjacent to the shoreline and, over time, sold off small parcels to blue collar workers and recent immigrants from Europe. This set off a cultural clash between the well off residents of Old Lyme and the influx of working class citizens seeking some vacation time at the beach. This did not set well with the elites in town.
Until this development took place, the working class in Connecticut had few places along the shore where they could enjoy the sights and sounds of a salt water beach and Soundview Beach changed all of that by allowing them to buy small plots of land for their cottages and have access to the water via a narrow strip of the beach. Today, Soundview is a designated historical attraction and seems to be embraced by the residents of Old Lyme.
Aside from this mini history tidbit, it was a beautiful day for being outside on our bikes; it was a great family outing followed by a very tasty lunch.
And for those of you interested in my PRIORITY 600 but don’t often see it in my videos, I gave it over to Kristie to ride while I dusted off my road bike. Lots of nice riding shots of this touring bike set up for a day-ride and Kristie actually provided a short impromptu endorsement of this very special bike. And for the record… my videos are not sponsored or endorsed by the Priority Bike Company. I am not paid to promote their bikes… I just happen to appreciate it as a wonderful means to go on my “Old Man On A Bike” adventures.
Resources:
Soundview Beach History - www.ctinsider....
Soundview, The Way I Remember It - reluctantrebel...
America’s First Public Beach - digitalpub.chro...

[@amylipkin2116]

=Thanks for the ride!! Come to Groton and Mystic and ride here!!

[@cc103acs]

Thanks for the offer but need a rain check. Getting ready for a week of riding / camping in Quebec. Are you a roadie or do you ride a touring / gravel bike? From what I recall, there are some fun rollers and hills out in that neck of the woods.

[@magnus9165]

Is she riding a Priority bike? I have a 600. I love it, Priority 600.

[@cc103acs]

Thanks for watching! Yes, Kristie is riding my Priority 600 and I reverted to my Specialized Robais road bike. If you watch later in the video you will see the modifications I made - specifically the Jones H Bar handlebar.