Mass. Bay Colony Tercentenary Commission signs

Massachusetts Bay Colony

Tercentenary Commission

(1630-1930)

In 1930 during the 300th anniversary of the establishment of the Massachusetts Bay Colony in the New World a special commission was established to mark the occasion. As part of its work the commission located historic sites in the Commonwealth and marked them with large black and white cast iron signs. Dozens of the signs were cast and then mounted or supported with poles and placed throughout the state. Some 78 years have passed and many of the signs are gone, but there are still some of them out there to be found. Here are just a few I have run across.

Middlesex Fells Reservation, Mass.

Spot Pond
South and Main Sts.
Stoneham, Mass. 02180

The Middlesex Fells Reservation covers some 2,575 acres of publicly owned land, mostly forested, filled with hiking trails, ponds and open fields. Spot Pond, which is a 340 acre secondary water reservoir in the MWRA system and the Stone Zoo, both in Stoneham, make-up part of the Reservation. In addition to Stoneham, the Fells Reservation encompasses parts of Medford, Melrose, Malden and Winchester. Route 93 and Route 28, the Fellsway, split up the Reservation.

Originally this whole area was part Charlestown, but over time this rocky forested land (from which it derives its Anglo-Saxon name Fells) was subdivided. Mills were built in the area and farmers staked out their holdings. Mining operations were conducted and diabase, which is used for gravel, was removed . In 1725 the Town of Stoneham was incorporated and in 1850 Winchester and Melrose were also incorporated. Medford established its own claims in the Fells area and a small section lies in Malden.

Farming continued in some areas of the Fells through the 1700's until well into the late 19th century. Farming ended in 1894 when the Metropolitan Parks Commission (MPC) took over the land and created the Fells Reservation. The MPC was created through the efforts of the Appalachian Mountain Club, the Trustees of Reservations and private citizens.

In 1919 the MPC was taken over by the Metropolitan District Commision. In addition to its park holdings the MDC was responsible for water and sewage, managed zoos, beaches, skating rinks and had its own police force. Over time the MDC was broken up. In 1970 a separate Parks and Recreation Division was created.The MDC police was merged with the State Police and the MWRA in 1984 became the new water and sewer authority.

The Middlesex Fells Reservation is now operated by the Mass. Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR). It is assisted in its efforts by The Friends of the Middlesex Fells Reservation, a private non-profit group dedicated to preserving the Middlesex Fells area in its natural state.

Brooks Estate - Medford, Mass.

Brooks Estate
275 Grove St.
Medford, Mass.

Living in and surrounded by the crowded urban life of eastern Massachusetts today it is hard to imagine that in times past large tracts of open and sometimes forested, land still existed. Not just small working farms, but often the land was part and parcel of large estates owned by wealthy individuals and families. These personal estates, some of them consisting of hundreds of acres, were in most cases eventually broken up and sold off by the families descendants many years ago.

Occasionally, the estates were preserved long enough so that the open space remained, which we can now enjoy in public parks and conservation land. In some instances, the family mansions along with their grounds survived, giving us a glimpse of how they lived in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Founded in 1630, Medford was one of the earliest English settlements in the New World. Originally established as a "Plantation" it was owned by an absentee landlord in England. The Mystic River, which was one of its early boundaries, gave access to the sea and provided an abundance of "alewifes", a type of fish. (For which Alewife Brook Parkway, Rte. 16, was later named).

In 1660 Thomas Brooks, a puritan from Boston, purchased about 400 acres in Medford, establishing the Brooks Estate. The Brooks family went on to play an important role in the history of Medford, the Mass. Bay Colony and later in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. To mention just two members of the family: John Brooks, a Captain in the American Revolution and a Major General in the militia, served as Governor of Massachusetts and the Rev. Charles Brooks was an influential minister, educator and an historian.

In the 1880s Peter Chardon Brooks III and Shepherd Brooks decided to build summer homes on their family owned property in Medford. At that time, Medford was still comparatively rural. Peter's home, Point of Rocks, no longer exists, but the manor built by Shepherd Brooks still stands.

Originally called the Acorn, the four bedroom red brick home was designed by Peabody and Sterns. Its granite foundation was built from stone taken from the old Middlesex Canal, a portion of which used to run through the Brooks Estate. A large carriage house was built adjacent to the manor.

In addition to building the two homes a massive construction effort was completed in the creation of Brooks pond. This pond was dug by hand and required the removal by trucks of tons of earth. At the same time vistas were opened up among the forested land to allow the proper viewing of the property.

The Brooks Estate decreased in size over the years as property was either sold - as in the creation of the Oak Grove Cemetery and its additions - or donated for public use. After the deaths of Peter and Shepherd, more of the property was sold by their heirs. In 1942 the City of Medford acquired what remained of the estate, which at that time was about 88 acres. Point of Rock was at this time demolished, leaving only the remains of its foundation. Shepherd Manor was used as both a nursing home and a place for veterans families.

Finally after some discussion, an agreement was reached on how best to preserve the property. Late in 1998 a permanent conservation plan was approved. This plan guarantees for future generations the preservation of some 50 acres of the Brooks Estate, the Shepherd Manor and its carriage house.

The property is managed by the Medford - Brooks Estate Land Trust (M-BLT). Year round caretakers live in Shepherd Manor, looking after the two historic buildings. The Brooks Estate is adjacent to Medford's Oak Grove Cemetery and conservation land (donated by the Brooks family) in Winchester. The estate has numerous hiking trails and is quite heavily forested, giving an illusion of distance from the surrounding city.