Mount Tom State Park, a 231-acre recreation area in northwestern Connecticut, is among the oldest parks in the state system and is centered on the stone observation tower atop Mount Tom. Charles H. Senff donated the land in 1911 for a state park, and after his death Gustavia A. Senff completed the transfer, which the legislature finalized in 1917 as one of the first parks opened by Connecticut’s first State Park Commission. The current tower, built in 1921 from site-found black gneiss, replaced an 1888 wooden tower. The park also preserves notable geology and offers access to Mount Tom Pond for outdoor recreation.