Lovers Lane
In the past few years I have often heard questions about a road referred to as Lover’s Lane. This road, now gone, was one of the earliest byways in town.
In March 1786 the town voted at a town meeting to establish a road from the top of South Mountain up Middletown Hill Road as it now runs. At the bottom of the first hill of Middletown Hill the road turned west at what now looks like an old lane lined with stone walls. The road is steep down to Shippee Brook where a carriage bridge was constructed high above the water and then made its way back uphill to what was once the West Road, now Hazelton Road. It joined that road at the curve just below #78.
The abutments are still where the bridge once was and are really quite a sight to behold. The entire area is beautiful in all seasons (although the walk can be a little treacherous with the bridge no longer there).
The one question remains for me is where did this name come from? There are so many names of places in town that refer to people or things that are no longer here, but Lover’s Lane is on another level. I made a phone call to our most knowledgeable historian who didn’t have a clue and said, “I’m sure there’s a story there but we will probably never know.”
Looking upstream at the old bridge on Shippee Brook.
Text by Joanne Semanie. Photos from the Museum archive.