Sturges Park, Fairfield, CT: Secret Underground Bunker or Ordinary Sewer?

I just thought I'd toss this out on behalf of a family member to see what I get. According to her, nearly 50 years ago, there was a place called Sturges Park in Fairfield, Connecticut where the kids use to go sledding in the winter. She said that at the top of this big hill, was a manhole cover secured by bolts that the kids used to jump off of.

Just today, she turned to me out of the blue and wondered out loud why there would be a reinforced manhole cover like that on top of a hill. I'm no expert and I don't know about these things. The first thing that came to my mind was that it was some kind of bunker (she said there were nuclear weapons in the area when she was a kid and that they were always doing "duck-and-cover" drills in school). It may not have even been an active one and I could be wrong but I'd like to know what all of you would think if you saw something like this. I would be particularly interested in hearing from anyone who still lives in the area and could go check it out firsthand.

I just thought it was worth asking about because she never thought to ask about it all those years ago and she's suddenly very curious about it now.

wierd. im from CT. maybe ill have to check that out.

probably some secret bunker for snobs, you know how those wasps like their hives! (ever hear the phrase, nothing like an Aryan from Darien! hahaha, gets me everytime)

Wouldn't suprise me though, lots of old money in that area and easily the resources to do something silly like that, maybe its from the 50s and not even active anymore, forgotten.

or its a secret bush/walker reptilian undercity that leads to the reflective universe of hollow earth!!!!! they are from greenwich, after all.

simply put you ear to and listen. If it's sewer you will hear water running.

If it's a storm sewer then you will only hear water when it's wet out.

If your local plumbing codes are the same as they are here in Canada... the should be another manhole within 150m of that one.

There are also manholes for telecommunications and electrical power. I would think that it's not unusual to have a manhole at the top of a hill because of the change in elevation.