In 1919, the former State Park and Forest Commission obtained an 860 acre parcel located in the Millington section of Haddam. The principle feature of the park, Chapman Falls. The falls also once powered "Beebe's Mills" which were named after the original owner. The mills operated until the mid 1890's. A search for the origin of the name "Devil's Hopyard" reveals a wide variety of different stories; One of the most popular of these stories is about a man named Dibble, who had a garden for growing hops used in the brewing of beer. It seems that through usage, Dibble's Hopyard became Devil's Hopyard. There are records of several farmers having hopyards in the area, but there is no mention of a landowner named Dibble. However, Dibble might have been a tenant. Another tale focuses on the potholes near the falls, perfectly cylindrical, they range from inches to several feet in diameter and depth. These potholes were formed by stones moved downstream by the current and trapped in an eddy where the stone was spun around and around, wearing a depression in the rock. When the rock wore itself down, another would catch in the same hole and enlarge it. We know this now, but to the early settlers the potholes were a great mystery that they tried to explain with references to the supernatural. They thought that the Devil has passed by the falls, accidentally getting his tail wet. This made him so mad he burned holes in the stones with his hooves as he bounded away. Another story is about five young men dressed as Ninja warriors who said they were frightened by demons and knocked on a pastor's door at 2 a.m. and wound up being arrested. They said they had gone to Devil's Hopyard State Park in East Haddam to practice martial arts when they encountered something demonic. The frightened five, jumped into a car with their weapons still wearing their masks and drove straight to the Manchester home of a church pastor whose terrified wife called police.

​