Picture Connecticut: An Island, A Sandbar And (Maybe) Pirate Treasure

MILFORD, CT — This week's installment in the Picture Connecticut series takes us to Milford and Silver Sands State Park. Just off the coast sits Charles Island.

Local histories tell us that the 14-acre island was originally known as Poquehaug, then Milford Island when the English descended on the area. Charles Deal bought the island in 1657 and it was then renamed after hi.

The State of Connecticut now owns the island and, along with being part of Solver Sands, it is designated as a natural preserve for the local bird population of egrets and herons.

At low tide, the island can be reached via a sandbar.

Legend has it that Captain William Kidd buried treasure there after a stop in Milford in his travels between England and New York City in the late 1600s. Treasure hunters have visited the island in search of the booty, but nothing has ever been found.

Oh ... coincidentally ... Sunday is the annual Pirates Day celebration in Milford.

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Picture Connecticut is a weekly Patch series featuring unique images of the state, past and present.

Previous featured images:

• State Veterans Cemetery, Middletown
• Glastonbury-Rocky Hill Ferry, Glastonbury/Rocky Hill
• The Old County Jailhouse, Tolland
• Agent Orange Monument, Andover
• The Sunken Garden, Farmington
• Lafayette Tour Monument, Vernon
• The Pinchot Sycamore, Simsbury
• Bob's Discount Furniture Studios, Manchester