Where do we go from here?

Pictured above is a modern view of the Mystic River from the overlook platform at the south entrance of Mystic Seaport Museum, showing the current usage of the river as a functioning shipyard as well as for recreational purposes.

Our final stop along the Greenmanville Trail is the Mystic River Overlook, found at the south entrance of Mystic Seaport Museum. Observe the view of a modern-day shipyard with activity similar to what could be found here during the 19th-century. This location was a place where diversity could flourish and according to Museum scholars, a place to gain knowledge, money and perhaps even power through work on vessels or abroad. Today, the opportunities on the Mystic River are more recreational with some activities that inspire engagement with the environment.

With the recent 50th anniversary of the Clean Water Act, learning about how to ensure the health of riverine species and how to combat rising sea levels should be more important than ever before to the preservation of this vital landscape. Habitat loss, pollution runoff, waste management and the impacts of transportation and recreation are challenges to be addressed as we seek to ensure a healthy future for all living things. What do you hear as our current call to action? How do we ensure equitability of use as a part of our shared stewardship?

We hope that the Greenmanville Trail and this self-guided tour has broadened your understanding of communal stories of land and people, as well as inspired an understanding of the natural world and ourselves as part of it– past, present and future. Other sites connected to Greenmanville that can also be explored to extend your walking tour include Elm Grove Cemetery on Greenmanville Avenue and the Peace Sanctuary on River Road. Together we continue to shape a sense of place here in Mystic where all can thrive.