Old Lyme Inn Content Development – Harmonic Visions Space

Did you know that the bird featured in the Old Lyme Inn logo is a Northern Flicker? Not only is this a handsome bird, it also has special meaning for the Old Lyme Inn that unfolded in a serendipitous way.
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#OLIPetersonFlicker — OLI-Flicker Chapter 1

When Chris and Ken Kitchings bought the Old Lyme Inn in 2011 and were busy with renovations to the physical space, the visual identity of the Inn also needed a new look. As avid bird lovers, Chris and Ken felt strongly that the Inn’s logo include a bird… but which one? Thinking back, they remembered an impactful bird encounter. During a wind storm, a tree was split, plummeting baby northern flickers to the ground. Chris quickly created a ‘nest’ out of 2 inverted baskets and proceeded to catch the flightless babies as the parents screamed. Once they had been moved to their new home, Chris and Ken placed the baskets in a crook of a maple tree.
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#OLIPetersonFlicker — OLI-Flicker Chapter 2

Roger Tory Peterson (1908-1996) is considered the inventor of the modern field guide. He was an American naturalist, ornithologist, artist and educator, who pioneered the 20th century environmental movement. Did you know, however, that Peterson was a resident of Old Lyme, Connecticut? He moved to his home along the Connecticut River in 1954, where he lived for 42 years.
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#OLIPetersonFlicker — OLI-Flicker Chapter 3

Roger Tory Peterson had a fascination with birds, and an experience at the age of 11 sparked this lifelong interest.

While walking with a friend in Jamestown, Peterson spotted what appeared to be a clump of feathers in a tree, near the ground. It was a northern flicker, apparently tired from migration. “I poked it with my finger; instantly, this inert thing jerked its head around, looked at me wildly, then took off in a flash of gold.

It was like resurrection.
What had seemed dead was very much alive,” he said.

“Ever since then, birds have seemed to me the most vivid expression of life.”
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#OLIPetersonFlicker — OLI-Flicker Chapter 4

The threads connecting the Kitchings, Old Lyme, and Roger Tory Peterson have revealed themselves over time, with the northern flicker binding them all together. Peterson’s ponderings of resurrection resonate strongly with Chris. She sees the renovation of the inn as its own resurrection story: what had seemed dead was actually very much alive. In honor of Roger Tory Peterson and the northern flicker, the parlor room in the #OldLymeInn was renamed to “The Peterson Room”. As Chris says, “Roger Tory Peterson’s story has become OUR story.”
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#OLIPetersonFlicker — OLI-Flicker Chapter 5

While meeting with one of the owners of the Old Lyme Inn, I learned of a meaningful connection between the Inn’s mascot—the Northern Flicker—a real-life rescue of flicker fledglings, and naturalist Roger Tory Peterson, a longtime Old Lyme resident.

Inspired by this, I proposed stepping beyond the Inn’s usual promotional content to create a special series of posts celebrating this unique “local color” narrative. The five-part series linked the Inn’s renovation to Peterson’s reflections on renewal and culminated in the dedication of the “Peterson Room,” resonating deeply with the community and enriching the Inn’s brand with symbolic and historical depth.