"The one thing that makes me laugh is that they always refer to them as abandoned cottages. Well, 'abandoned' is a poor choice of words. Abandoned means you walk away from it and you didn't care, and that was not the case with any of us." — Mary Francis King, former resident, Aug. 6, 2010 For more than 70 years, an idyllic beachfront community of 45 cottages flourished on a small peninsula in Stratford, Conn — until a fire destroyed the only vehicle-access bridge for residents. The town decided to reclaim the land and did not renew the land lease for the cottages. The owners fought to stay, but after a decade-long court battle, the case was taken to the Supreme Court, where the town won. The owners were forced to sell their cottages to the town of Stratford for $1 each. With no vehicle access, many belongings were left behind. The land remained in limbo until last year, when a decision was made to raze the now-dilapidated cottages and turn the peninsula into a wildlife preserve.
