The McCooks of Hartford were a distinguished family whose men were known during the 1800s as the Fighting McCooks. In 1869, the family purchased 16 acres with 1750 feet of shoreline known as Champlin Point, where they built a three-story home and small chapel with panoramic views of Niantic Bay and Long Island Sound. They welcomed community members to enjoy picnics, tea parties, sporting activities, and summer camp on the renamed McCook Point. When the family decided to sell the land, they declined a generous offer in favor of preservation, and in December 1953 the Town of East Lyme purchased the property for a town park. Their agreement required the buildings to be demolished if they could not be maintained, and they were torn down. McCook Point park and beach remain available year-round to townspeople and visitors through the family's generosity and the town's foresight.