The former Allen’s Clam House site is ready for a transformation and we need your help

When you ask anyone who may have lived in Westport during the last century if he or she remembers Allen’s Clam House, you’ll get a resounding, “Of course!”  You’ll also get a tale about a birthday, a graduation, or a special event celebrated there.  If you ask a relatively new Westport resident the same question, it’s likely you’ll be told that the name sounds familiar but the story will probably end there.

Though Captain Walter Allen and his Clam House Restaurant at 191 Hillspoint Road have both become the stuff of 20th century memories, soon Westport’s old-timers and newcomers will have a chance to create a different set of memories for new generations of Westporters.  The site at which Captain Allen’s legendary shellfishing business got its early 1900s start on the Sherwood Mill Pond is about to get a new, environmentally important makeover.

The Town of Westport purchased the property in 1999 to rescue it from developers.  However, to afford the purchase price, the Town needed financial assistance from its own residents.  Residents responded by making personal donations to help fund the effort.

Now, after years of tweaking and a long process of gaining local and state approvals, the plan for the newly named Sherwood Mill Pond Preserve is finally ready for installation. 

The former site of the restaurant and its parking lot will be restored into an environmentally sound, passive setting for nature observation. The plan includes restoration of native wetland plants at the water’s edge, a naturalized vegetated upland buffer, a walking path, benches, a kayak/canoe launching area, educational signage, and a small parking area.

To learn more about what’s planned for the Sherwood Mill Pond Preserve and to find out how you can make a much-needed donation, see the links in the right-hand column.