Bauer Park

The Bauer Park was established in 1990 when Erwin Bauer gave his farm to the Town of Madison. He left the farm to the townspeople, as he and his brother Anthony never married, and had no immediate family nearby. Anthony died in 1989 and Erwin died in 1996. Erwin lived in the house for most of his 92 years. He and his family saw many changes during the years that they lived there. Two major events that had an impact upon their land and life were the Great New England storm in 1938 and the construction of Interstate 95 in 1958.

Erwin was at home during the hurricane of 1938, and watched the ground around the Sugar maple trees east of his house heave up and down as the ferocious winds blew.The Bauer's were truck farmers and would drive their vegetable products to the Farmer's market in New Haven. The newly constructed interstate highway considerably shortened the time of their trip to the city.Erwin also recalled the time when the electric lighting was first brought to the Town Green. At the present (1999) there are still no street lights near the Bauer homestead on Copse Road.The roads have changed a bit since Erwin lived on the farm. Old Ridge Road is partially abandoned and is grown back to forest on the eastern portion of the Park. During the mid 1960's, ponds were dug on the farm to provide water for irrigation. The areas that the Bauer's used for growing vegetable and fruit crops are very gravelly and the rain drains fairly quickly through the soils