Cummings Park

Another public beach is at Cummings Park, located on Shippan Avenue. Cummings Park is named after a Stamford Mayor, Homer Cummings, who was active in Democratic politics and later worked for Franklin Delano Roosevelt as U.S. Attorney General. He lived in town for most of his life and often went to the shoreline there for walking. The park was originally called Halloween Park because the vote to buy the property was held on Halloween Eve. The city’s annual 4th of July fireworks display is traditionally held at Cummings Park.

Cummings Park once had a seasonal harbor seal colony which has long been gone, but a single white marble seal statue is left to stand vigil. The park has a playfield, baseball fields, several basketball and tennis courts, rest rooms, a seasonal cafe, and a hillside that is sometimes used for winter sledding. A public marina, boat launch, and fishing pier are also located there.

The boardwalk along the shore is a relaxed place for a stroll, where the breeze carries the voices of many languages – Russian, Spanish, Italian among the most common. The windsurfers and beach volleyball afficionados have designated areas and a fishing pier provides a reflective place to cast poles into the swells, followed by ice cream and treats at the concession stand, most welcome on a hot July day.

https://fergusonlibrary.org/youth/kids/stamford-history/places/