• Madison Connecticut Crystal Christmas Ornament on the Tree, Osprey on a Nesting Platform at Hammonasset
  • Madison Connecticut Crystal Christmas Ornament Hanging on White, Osprey on a Nesting Platform at Hammonasset
  • Madison Connecticut Crystal Christmas Ornament in Gold Gift Box, Osprey on a Nesting Platform at Hammonasset
  • Madison Connecticut Crystal Christmas Ornament in White Gift Box, Osprey on a Nesting Platform at Hammonasset
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Madison Connecticut Holiday Ornament - Hammonasset Osprey

Madison Connecticut Holiday Ornament - Hammonasset Osprey

$28.00 USD
$28.00 USD
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Ospreys — the fish hawks of the Connecticut shore — are famous for decorating. Over the years Hammonasset's birds have worked plastic bags, fishing line and the odd balloon into their nests. This one went with an evergreen sprig.

Hammonasset Beach State Park opened in July 1920 and is still Connecticut's largest shoreline park, with about two miles of beach backed by salt marsh. By the 1960s and '70s ospreys were close to vanishing from the coast, their eggs thinned by DDT. After the pesticide was banned in 1972, the birds began to recover, and in 1991 the Menunkatuck Audubon Society put up three tripod nesting platforms at Hammonasset. The ospreys moved in almost immediately. Today platforms stand along the shore, and a camera on one near the Meigs Point Nature Center has streamed the nest to viewers online.

Here's the honest part: by Christmas the platform is empty. Hammonasset's ospreys winter in South America and come back to the same nest in late March. The ornament keeps one at home for the holidays.

For Madison families, Hammonasset campers and anyone who waits for the ospreys every March.

A three-inch faceted crystal ornament, the art printed on a white backing so the line work stays crisp and the facets catch the light. It comes in a white or gold gift box, ready to give, and is printed to order in the USA. Drawn as an 1880s-style engraving; the evergreen sprig is the only color.

3-inch faceted crystal glass · white-backed print · white or gold gift box · printed to order in the USA


QUICK FACTS — MADISON CT CRYSTAL ORNAMENT — HAMMONASSET OSPREY

Town: Madison, Connecticut

Founded: Settled 1641 as East Guilford; incorporated 1826

Known for: Hammonasset Beach State Park; the 1685 Deacon John Grave House; R.J. Julia Booksellers

Art: Hammonasset Osprey, original Merlin Classics engraving

Blank: 3-inch (76 mm) round clear crystal glass ornament, faceted gem-cut edge

Print: white-backed for contrast; red ribbon hanger

Packaging: white or gold gift box, chosen at checkout

Made to order in the USA



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Wear Local. Feed Local. Stay Classic.

Product FAQs

How does your sizing work?

Every item is made to order, so please check the size chart on this page before you buy. Women's fitted tees run small; size up for a looser fit. Caps are one size with an adjustable strap.

How are items made and when will they arrive?

We make each item to order using premium blanks, embroidery and soft-hand prints. Production takes 2-5 business days (weekends and holidays excluded), then 4-10 days in transit via USPS, UPS or FedEx to U.S. addresses; most orders arrive within 6-15 business days. You'll get a tracking link the moment it ships. Any current shipping offer is shown in the bar at the top of every page and applies automatically at checkout, no code needed.

How do I send a gift?

Enter the recipient's address as the shipping address and your own as the billing address at checkout. Nothing ships with a price; the package includes a plain packing slip. Tracking goes to your email, not theirs. For birthdays and holidays, order two weeks ahead to be safe.

What's the return policy?

Made-to-order items can't be returned or exchanged for size or color, so please use the size chart and photos before ordering. If anything arrives defective, misprinted or damaged, send a photo and your order number within 30 days and we'll replace it or refund you.

How do I care for my item?

Apparel: wash cold, inside out, with like colors; no bleach; tumble dry low or hang dry. Embroidered pieces: iron inside out to protect the stitching. Caps: spot clean. Printed glasses and water bottles: hand wash only, no dishwasher, so the artwork lasts. Mugs and engraved glasses are dishwasher safe. Any item-specific care notes are in the description above.

Who makes this?

Merlin Classics is a small Connecticut brand making original retro designs for the towns people love. Every piece is printed, embroidered or engraved to order in the USA, and the business supports hunger relief in the communities our collections celebrate.

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Madison was settled as East Guilford in 1641 and incorporated under its own name in 1826, honoring James Madison, fourth President of the United States.

The Deacon John Grave House (1685) on the Boston Post Road is one of the oldest houses in Connecticut — home to the Grave family for nine generations, until 1978.

Why People Visit Madison Connecticut

  • Spend a day at Hammonasset Beach State Park — two miles of sandy beach on Long Island Sound, the largest shoreline state park in Connecticut, open to the public since July 18, 1920, with a boardwalk, campground, and picnic groves.
  • Walk out to Meigs Point at the eastern end of the park — rocky headland views over the Sound — and visit the Meigs Point Nature Center for tide-pool touch tanks and salt-marsh exhibits.
  • Stroll the Madison Town Green, one of the oldest in Connecticut, with the 1838 Greek Revival First Congregational Church facing it.
  • Tour the Deacon John Grave House on the Boston Post Road — the 1685 saltbox that is one of the oldest houses in Connecticut, home to nine generations of the Grave family and now a museum.
  • Visit the Allis-Bushnell House, the Madison Historical Society's museum a few doors down the Post Road.
  • Browse the independent bookstore on the Boston Post Road that draws readers and authors from across the region — hundreds of author events a year on a colonial-era main street.
  • Walk Madison Center — clapboard shops, cafes, and an art-house cinema along the Boston Post Road, built for window-shopping and ice cream.
  • Paddle or birdwatch the lower Hammonasset River estuary and the salt marshes behind the beach.
  • Fish or watch the boats along the East River and Neck River town shorelines.
  • Circle Tuxis Pond on the walking path just behind the village center.

Madison Connecticut Merlin Classics retro vintage logo featuring oyster shell motif and Connecticut Colony 1636 founding-era date