Thompson's Beach
4/05
Note to self: Consider investing in waders.
Thompson's Beach, much like Seabreeze
or Grassy Sound, was a tiny little-known
town on the water. The road leading out to is was surrounded by marsh and
was difficult to upkeep. Eventually the township decided maintaining a lone
road that led to a handful of houses, many of which were summer homes, was
not worth it. The houses were leveled; the docks, bulkhead, bits of foundations,
and a single fireplace remain today. The road itself has obviously deteriorated
since then. Sections of asphalt are left, but for the most part the road is
mud, rock, and reeds.
I'm not exactly sure when the town was demolished, although a few people have
said it was during the 90's.
The road to the town.
The road that leads to Thompson's Beach stops about 2/3 mile
from the actual town. There's a small parking lot with birdwatching stands
on either side. A small iron gate prevents anyone from driving down the rest
of the road. So from here we had to hoof it. We tried our best to avoid mud,
but it was a lost cause. A surprising number of dead horseshoe crabs were
scattered about the trail.
Finally reaching the shoreline, we noticed nearly all the bulkhead was still
intact. Skeletons of docks were also present, as were bricks and concrete
from the houses. With the exception of the fireplace, we couldn't tell where
exactly the houses were. We found half a tea cup and a bunch of rusty crab
traps. Wires and pipes still stick out of the ground in places.
Dead horseshoe crabs.
