9 comments:

CMCastroblog said...

Don,

It is very nice to see this space about Whipple Hill. Our property abutts this conservation area and we hold it dear to our hearts.

Nice captures on the local flora and fauna.

The ferns grow to a metre-and-a-half high and beyond --impressive.

Regards,
Carmen

Anonymous said...

The picture of the large stone wall. I remember back in the 40's as I roam the woods known as Reeds Woods of 3 large stone walls. Does anyone know the history behind them.I have my own idea

Don said...

I don't know the history of the walls except like most of the walls in New England, they were built using stones cleared from the fields.

What's your idea?

Don

Anonymous said...

Don, you see I refer the Whipple Hill area and be on as Reeds Woods. The Reed faimly go back to the late 1700,s and sometime while they were there they started a dairy just up from the Busa farm. The house and barn was still there as I was growing up and a field across the street was where the cows would graze and later on in years we played ball there. Summer street had a cow crossing going under it and on the other side a bridge going across the stream for the cows. The stone walls I think were to keep th cows from roaming to far and as I remember the walls were to big for a cow to step over.Also just up the small hill off Haskell street there is a well and a smaller well down to the side of the larger well which might have been used for water. Might not be there today. I think Haskell street was named after Haskell Reed who lived in the
1800's.Later...Robert

Don said...

Thanks, Robert, for the very interesting history. Where were the house and barn located? On Haskell St.?

Are you familiar with the large, cone-shaped rock piles about 30 ft. in diameter and 15 ft. high? There are several located around the Whipple Hill area. Some people believe they were erected by the Indians as described in this blog Whipple Hill Rock Piles. Others believe they are stones cleared from farm fields or nearby housing developments.

What do you think they are?

Anonymous said...

Don, the dairy was located on Lowell street just up from the Busa farm. I think their property line touch each other. I do not remember any rock piles around Whipple Hill at all. I do remember that the hill had some rocky slaps around and near the top of the hill. It was the best area to go blueberry picking and me and my sister would go there every year. However there were patches of berries all over the wooded area. Remember their were no roads or houses like their are today. I could enter the woods where the trail heads are located today on summer street and go hunting and end up close to the old country side and or across from Maple st and see no one. I can not believe all that is left is 130 acres. I guess that is progress.The field that us kids played ball on is located between Lowell street and Summer st.right across from the Reed Dairy. Their was a rock wall running on oneside of the lenth of the field from Lowell st to Summer st. Also a old road ran from Summer st near the undernerath cow crossing into the woods and about 200 yds in the road split into a "Y". If you took the left "Y" and went a few yds and took a left turn you would go thru a wet area (small stream at spring and rainy season)to a man made watering hole. You could not jump across it but you could throw a stone to the otherside, might have been 30 to 50 foot in diameter. I am sure us kids went "skinny dipping"at least once. We also used the watering hole to fill up our "Indian Water Tanks" 5 gals. when the woods burned. Stay intouch....Robert

Anonymous said...

Don, I came across another web page about the rock piles at and around Whipple Hill. Pictures can jog this old man's memory. Yes, I do remember the smaller piles of rock with vegetation growing around and thru them along with some outcrops of rock but as a kid I would not take any notice. As for the 15 footer no, it doesent ring a bell. If us kids took notice we would probability would have knock them down. Remember we roamed thru the woods during WWII playing war and most likely we would have made some kind of a defensive structure with the smaller piles. Kids have some good emanation. Also was mention of a smaller pond at the bottom of the hill. Could that be my man made watering hole???..Later Robert

Don said...

I was looking at a fieldstone and concrete structure, 25 feet in diameter, located on a little hill, just above the juncture of Haskell and Summer streets. Is that perhaps the foundation of a water tower, part of the Reed Dairy Farm?

Anonymous said...

Don, I do not remember any structer like that. It could have something to do with the 2 wells located on top of the small hill, the lager well right on the top and a smaller well down from it on the Summer street side. We took a path from the intersection of Haskell Street and Crescent Hill to walk up to the well and go down the otherside to Summer street and into Reeds Woods.If you can take a picture and post it it might jog my memory. I think that the land from the well down to the large stone wall that ran from Lowell street to Summer street belong to the Monahan farm located across from Busa's farm.Once we crossed the stone wall we were on Reeds field where we played ball.All that land was boarded from Haskell st. between Lowell and Summer st. It was a huge triangle ending where Summer and Lowell st. met.