Nehantic was the first state forest in New London County, and has all been purchased since 1925.  Considerable difficulty was experienced in selecting the site.  Although there is a great deal of wooded land in the county, it is so cut up by open farm lands that large areas of forest in one block are difficult to find.  The land is mostly covered with a second growth of hardwoods.  There are a number of good trout streams in the forest.

The forest takes its name from the Nehantic Indians, whose ranging grounds once extended from Wecapaug Brook, in what is now Rhode Island, to the Connecticut River.  Shortly before the settlers arrived the Pequots had invaded Nehantic territory and annexed about half of the land claimed by the tribe.