Marvin Beach Association

Historical Committee

Founded in 1914, there is no shortage of history in Marvin Beach.  Currently, there is a large effort underway to document our history on an unprecedented scale.  Stay tuned for all of the great pictures, stories, and more coming soon from the devoted members of our Historical Committee.

History of Marvin Beach

East Norwalk has a rich history dating back to ~1640 when Roger Ludlow and early settlers purchased lands from the local native American (“Norwalk”) tribe.  During the Revolutionary War’s Battle of Norwalk in July 1779, the British landed in East Norwalk and burned much of it.

Before Marvin Beach was first developed in 1914, it was part of the Marvin family’s property. This farm (est. 1836) encompassed the current sites of Marvin Beach, Marvin Elementary School (about where the farmhouse was located), Calf Pasture Beach, Taylor Farm Dog Park, Charles Cove Condominiums, and more.

The land that would become the eight streets of Marvin Beach was sold by Oriana Marvin and her children to Henry J. Miller of Trenton, NJ in September 1913. Miller subdivided it and created the Marvin Beach neighborhood. We have copies of a few ads for “The Marvin Beach Tract” that were published in The Hour in 1914. They advertised “the beauty spot of Norwalk” and a “fine class of people living all about.”

The first house to be built was 35 River Drive (1913) by Judge John Keough. Our research to date shows that many of the houses were built in 1920’s.  Some people bought multiple lots as an investment and sold them over time. Some of the last few houses to go up on empty lots (used for years as an open play space and gathering area) were 29 River (1978) and 31 River (1982).

According to Betty Sculley, Marvin Beach was a working-class community in the first several decades: Police/Fire, mail man, etc. 

Consistent themes about living in Marvin Beach

Outdoor fun: Water-based activities have always been a mainstay and a draw - swimming, boating, and fishing - as well as wintertime escapades on the ice and snow. Surrounding open land was perfect for ball games, biking and exploration.  A few long-term MB families have shared that the rule for kids was that they were free to go out and about but had to be home when the streetlights turned on. 

Events/Parties:  Holiday-focused traditions like July 4th parade/picnic, Easter Egg Hunt, Halloween, Holiday/Christmas Party – many of them hosted on the Bracken/Sculley Lot – have been big memory builders.  Yet, many other events have been tried over the years – ranging from outdoor movies, and swimming/kayak races to dancing (block dances ~1940).

Friendships and strong sense of community:  Many life-long friendships have been forged when kids played on our streets and adults chatted on our beaches.  A strong commitment to each other’s wellbeing has been seen when hurricanes and snowstorms walloped our shore; neighbors helped each other bail out flooded basements and shovel feet of snow.  Finally, the volunteering needed to host activities and maintain the beaches ensured that we got to know each other.  Town Halls and annual meetings allowed us to make big decisions together.  Finally, multiple generations and branches of Marvin Beach families have lived here; some were unwilling to leave this gem of a neighborhood as they became adults.  Quite a few marriages were also made in Marvin Beach.

If you want more information about Marvin Beach’s history from the 1930’s on, contact Ellen Appleby or Susan Hawley of the MBA Historical Committee; we have a binder for each of our eight streets with ownership history of the houses, interviews of residents, and photos. If you want to share stories or photos from MBA’s past, please contact them.

Notes:

1 The Norwalk Historical Society’s research of Norwalk land records re: 23 River Drive delineates the ownership history of the parcel that become Marvin Beach as follows: Josiah Raymond to Amanda Raymond Marvin in 1868 and then Jabez Raymond to Josiah Marvin/William Marvin in 1882. Then, William Marvin’s widow, Oriana (and her daughters) sold land to property developer Henry Miller in 1913.

2  From the map included in the “final auction sale” (around Labor Day 1914), we might infer that only a subset of the Marvin Beach tract was auctioned in 1914 (southern section of MB - from the south side of Norman through Stewart/Elliott have numbered lots). This still remains a question.

3 Norwalk Public Library has a photo of 35 River in its historical archives – all alone on the harbor. Note on the back says that was Judge Keough’s home.

4 Thanks to Marvin Beach histories penned three times over the 100+ years, we have some details about Marvin Beach social life. These history writers included:

·         Ben Holcomb (years of 1931-1969)

·         Bonnie Rising/Bobbi Vanderhoef (years of 1931-1982)

·         Kristen Hoyt (years of 1982-2022)

Sources:

Stan Siegel columns in The Hour (2014 and 2015)

East Avenue Wikipedia page (3/2022)

Ralph Bloom presentation to MBA Historical Committee (December 11, 2017)

MBA Historical Committee interview of Betty, Dave, John and Rich Sculley (July 25, 2018)

MBA Historical Committee interview of Harry and Susan Bartlett (October 19, 2017)

MBA Historical Committee interview of Nancy Lenihan (May 3, 2017)

Norwalk Historical Society’s research on historical plaque for 23 River Drive

Lots of MBA minutes and memories

The Stories Behind Marvin Beach’s Street Names

Alden Avenue: Named after a son of the property developer.  Alden H. Miller was born in 1904

Elliott Street: Ralph Bloom confirmed that Elliott Street was renamed in 1913 from Stewart Street as there was another Stewart/Stuart Street in Norwalk.

Gregory Boulevard: It is one of the oldest streets in Norwalk. John Gregory was one of the Englishmen who originally settled here. He once owned the land that stretched the entire length of our current Gregory Boulevard.

Norman Avenue: Named after a son of the property developer. Norman E. Miller was born in 1908.

River Drive:  Our view of the harbor - where the Norwalk River widens before connecting with LI Sound - makes this clear.

Other streets: Can anyone tell us about why Roland, Marion, Wallace, Stewart/Elliott were given those particular names?  Some have heard that they are named after Marvin-Taylor family members but we have not been able to find any supporting evidence.

Committee Members

Kristen Hoyt, Susan Hawley and Ellen Appleby

Research was also done by Michelle Orris and Deborah Kasdan.