Rings End Bridge

Near the bridge is the Darien Heritage Trail marker and across the bridge is a 1970 plaque commemorating Rings End Landing that was placed as part of the 150th anniversary of Darien celebrations.

This area, known as Rings End Landing, was the original commercial center of Darien. In 1708, Richard Scofield constructed a gristmill, called Scofield’s Mill. In 1729, the mill was sold to Scofield’s son-in-law, John Klock, and renamed Clock’s Mill, and the surrounding area Clock’s Landing. In 1740 the mill was sold to Captain George Gorham, and renamed Gorham’s Mill. It was operated by the Gorham family for over 100 years. By the 1830s, this was a bustling small harbor, with stores, a blacksmith shop, a tannery, and a boatyard. Ring’s End Bridge was first built out of wood across the mill’s dam in 1825, and was replaced with an iron bridge in 1895. By the time the current stone bridge was constructed in 1930, the center of Darien was the Post Road (following the construction of the railroad in 1848) and Gorham’s Mill had burned down.

This area is famously documented, and Rings End Landing and Gorham’s Mill appear in a 1900 painting by John Stobard (1929-2023) and on the seal of the Town of Darien.