Middlesex Fells Reservation

Middlesex Fells Reservation
Metropolitan Park System of Greater Boston
Bridge crossing 18th-century dam on Spot Pond Brook
Nickname: The Fells
Country	United States
State	Massachusetts
County	Middlesex
Cities/towns	Malden, Medford, Melrose, Stoneham, Winchester
Elevation	187 ft (57 m)
Coordinates
Area	2,283 acres (924 ha)
Established	1894
Management	Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation
- Park Headquarters	Botume House, 4 Woodland Road, Stoneham
Location in Massachusetts
Website: Middlesex Fells Reservation

The John Bottume House, which serves as the park's visitor center.

Middlesex Fells Reservation, often referred to simply as the Fells, is a 2,200-acre (890 ha) Massachusetts state park located in Malden, Medford, Melrose, Stoneham, and Winchester. The park is managed by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) and is part of the Metropolitan Park System of Greater Boston.

The park surrounds two inactive reservoirs, Spot Pond and the Fells Reservoir, and the three (North, Middle, and South) active reservoirs supplying the town of Winchester. Spot Pond and the Fells Reservoir are part of the Wachusett water system, one of six primary water systems that feed metropolitan Boston's waterworks.

History

The area around Middlesex Fells is known to have been explored by John Winthrop, Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, in 1632. The reservation's lands have been used for the production of timber, granite, and ice. Abundant water power meant that many mills, including one that manufactured some of the first vulcanized rubber products, were located here. Remnants of early mill works are visible in the Spot Pond Archeological District, located in the Virginia Woods section, the site of the former mill village of Haywardville.

The reservation was initiated in 1891 with the donation of Virginia Wood to The Trustees of Reservations by Mrs. Fannie Tudor as a memorial to her daughter, Virginia, who had died in a horse riding accident in the forest. The property was later donated to the Metropolitan District Commission in 1923." In 1893, the state took the property over and began managing it as a state park.

Boston Regional Medical Center was located within the Reservation along Woodland Road in Stoneham, until it closed in February 1999.

Activities and amenities

The reservation has over 100 miles of trails for hiking, mountain biking, cross-country skiing, and horseback riding. Trailheads are accessible from Interstate 93 at exits 33 and 34, and 35 Southbound. Fishing is offered on Dark Hollow Pond. Other facilities include picnicking areas, an observation tower, and a tot lot. A concessionaire offers sailing lessons and rentals of kayaks, canoes, pedal boats and row boats on Spot Pond during summer. Rock climbing is also popular in the Fells.

Historic status

In addition to being a state park, portions of the park and structures within it are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The entire area surrounding Spot Pond to the east of I-93 is within the Middlesex Fells Reservoirs Historic District, and the roadways in the park and on its borders are listed as the Middlesex Fells Reservation Parkways. The park's visitor center on Woodland Road in Stoneham is in the historic John Bottume House, which is not far from the 1906 Metropolitan District Commission Pumping House. Historically important archaeological sites in the park are listed as part of the Spot Pond Archeological District. Roadways connecting the park to other elements of the Metropolitan Park System are also listed; these include the Fells Connector Parkways, which connect the park to the Mystic River Reservation in Winchester, and the Lynn Fells Parkway, connecting the park to the Breakheart Reservation in Saugus.

External links

• Middlesex Fells Reservation Department of Conservation and Recreation
• Middlesex Fells Reservation Map Department of Conservation and Recreation
• Friends of the Fells