In My Footsteps: Trip 109: Sharon, Massachusetts

In My Footsteps

Christopher Setterlund

Trip 109:  Sharon, Massachusetts

February 17, 2011

            Located just north of one of my favorite spots, Easton, and even sharing one of the sites I am covering, the town of Sharon is very similar but also very different from its neighbor.  I found it fascinating that the town’s name comes from the Sharon Plain in Israel because of the amount of forest that existed on the land. 

Lake Massapoag

            As with several other towns in this area of Massachusetts there is a great mix of historic and natural beauty.  I tried my best to see as much of both as I could but found myself gravitating toward the natural beauty more.  A spot I enjoyed was Lake Massapoag specifically Memorial Park Beach on the north side.  The name comes from the Algonquin word meaning ‘large water.’

There was only one problem and that was the snowpack which made walking down to the water’s edge pretty tough.  I parked across the street and walked in.  I ended up sinking in up to my knees over and over but eventually made it to the water.  The area used to be a minor summer resort due to its proximity but those old summer cottages are now year-round homes.  I can see why the lake is so popular even in the dead of winter.  The views were spectacular.  I would recommend viewing them when it is warmer, or at least when there is less snow.

Collecting sap at Moose Hill

Another beautiful spot to take in is the Moose Hill Wildlife Sanctuary.  Here the snow made the scenery even better.  I walked through some of the trails but I will admit that the heavy snow pack made it slow going.  The 347 acre conservation area sports the 466-foot tall Moose Hill, second in size only to Great Blue Hill in Weymouth between Boston and Providence.  The hillsides also house some rare American chestnut trees which used to be plentiful until a bark fungus nearly exterminated them.  I also got to see some buckets collecting sap from maple trees, a classic New England scene with the snow adding to it.  I highly recommend checking out Moose Hill when the warmer weather arrives, I think I am going to do the same.

As great as Lake Massapoag and Moose Hill were as far as scenery went there was one place very familiar to me that topped them both.  Borderland State Park which straddles the line between Sharon and Easton is a beautiful area that I was really happy to get to see again.  The 1,782 acre Borderland State Park has a Frisbee golf course, gigantic open fields, horseback riding, and the picturesque Leaches Pond. 

The Borderland mansion

The last time I visited Borderland it was spring and all of the flowers and trees were in bloom.  This time it was the dead of winter but that didn’t take away from it.  On this day it was quite warm and there was a lot of melting snow which made the dirt paths muddy.  Still, that was no deterrent for me as I had another chance to check out the crown jewel of Borderland.

The land on which the park stands was purchased by Oakes Ames and his wife Blanche in 1906.  The name ‘Borderland’ was given to the three-story stone mansion built on the grounds in 1910.  The last time I was there when I visited Easton I did not spend as much time at the mansion as I should have; the fact that everything was in bloom sort of distracted me.  This time I was more of a detective checking out every inch possible of the hundred year old home.

How my favorite tree looks in spring.

For those of you unfamiliar with my Easton article the Ames family is perhaps the most well known in that town.  Patriarch Oaks Ames served in the House of Representatives from 1863 to 1873 and was also a key person in the completion of the Union Pacific portion of the United States Transcontinental Railroad.  Ames was asked to take over the Union Pacific section by President Lincoln who was busy with the Civil War.

Ames was also marred in controversy due to his involvement in the Credit Mobilier of America Scandal of 1872.  Ames sold shares of stock in the Credit Mobilier loan company for well below market value which meant that the profit margins were much less than anticipated and in the end many investors as well as Union Pacific were nearly bankrupt.  The Ames Memorial Hall in Easton was built by his children in an attempt to ease some of the hard feelings against their father.

All of that aside the mansion and the rest of the park is magnificent.  On this day I ventured behind the mansion and was able to get a better view of it.  The rolling hill leading away from the mansion was really cool, looking like a perfect spot for sledding.  I was a little disappointed that my favorite tree, I believe it's a dogwood, was not in bloom.  During the previous spring it had some amazing pinkish-purple blossoms that made for a lot of great photos.

Sharon ended up being a perfect companion to neighboring Easton including the fact that they share Borderland State Park.  There are several nature preserves and conservation areas to see that will probably be even better when the snow is only a memory like Moose Hill.  Still, visiting Sharon should not be predicated on time of year, it can be enjoyed anytime.  Have fun and happy traveling!

   My first book, In My Footsteps: A Cape Cod Travel Guide, is now available at SchifferBooks.com, BarnesandNoble.com, and Amazon.com, in stores everywhere!  Follow me on Twitter!  For more In My Footsteps items follow the In My Footsteps fan page on Facebook, or visit my homepage at ChristopherSetterlund.com.   Thanks for reading! 

Directions:  Borderland State Park:  From I-495 heading north take Exit 7A for Rt. 24 north.  Take Exit 16B to merge with Rt. 106, follow 5 miles and turn right at Poquanticut Ave.  Turn left at Massapoag Ave, follow 2 miles, park will be on right.

Moose Hill Wildlife Sanctuary:  From I-495 take Exit 13A for I-95 N.  Take Exit 8 for S. Main St. toward Sharon.  Follow 1.2 mi. turn left at Walpole St., turn right at Moose Hill St.  Follow 1.3 miles to headquarters.

References:  Borderland State Park

            Sharon Historical Society.org

            Town of Sharon - Official Site

In My Footsteps: Trip 42: Easton, Mass.

In My Footsteps

Christopher Setterlund

Trip 42: Easton, Mass.

April 7, 2010

            There are some spots that are obvious destinations in Massachusetts such as Cape Cod, Plymouth, and Boston.  There are other spots that are hidden gems that should be made destinations.  One such place is a little town just east of Brockton called Easton.  When choosing my destinations for my travel articles I look for towns with history and natural beauty, Easton has both.

            First settled in 1694 by Clement Briggs, who had a home built near the present-day Easton Green, the town was mainly a Native American hunting and burial ground until 1713.  During King Philip’s War, Metacom, King Philip himself, used Easton as a headquarters.  The most prominent name, however, associated with Easton is that of the Ames family.  Many buildings in Easton feature the Ames name.  Who are the Ames family?

            Oakes Ames was a politician born in Easton.  He served in the House of Representatives for Massachusetts from 1863 to 1873.  He is also seen as the most important person in the completion of the Union Pacific portion of the United States Transcontinental Railroad.  He was asked to take over the Union Pacific portion by President Lincoln who was busy dealing with the Civil War.  The railroad was completed in 1869 where the ‘Golden Spike’ was hammered home at Promontory Summit in Utah. 

            Oliver Ames was the son of Oakes Ames.  He was also a politician and was Governor of Massachusetts from 1887 to 1890.  Easton’s high school is named Oliver Ames High School in his honor.  However it is his father Oakes Ames who has the more amazing building serving as a memorial to his work.     

            The Oakes Ames Memorial Hall(above), located in the historic district of North Easton, is a truly spectacular piece of architecture.  Built between 1879-1881 the hall served as a gift from Ames’ children to the town of Easton after his disgrace of the Credit Mobilier of America Scandal during the late 1860’s.  It was meant to be a Town Hall but ended up being more of an informal meeting house for private groups.  It stands up on a hill overlooking the historic districts Main Street and Lincoln Street and has a pinkish-gray color.  Though rarely used today this building is more than just eye-catching, upon seeing it I felt the need to stand under the immense arches and take in the hot sunny day from the shade.

            Two other buildings adjacent to the Ames Memorial Hall have an amazingly similar look to it, almost as if they were its children.  The reason for this is that all of the buildings were designed by famed 19^th Century architect Henry Hobson Richardson.  Directly across the street from the Hall is a former post office located at 66 Main Street which is now a public building.  Located to the right of the Hall is the Ames Free Library(right).  Serving as the town’s library this building has a beautifully large front lawn.  It has stayed virtually untouched since the children’s wing was built in 1931 as a gift from Fanny Holt Ames to honor her husband William H. Ames.  With a renewed interest in the architecture of H.H. Richardson the library has become a destination for students from all across the country and abroad.  Located behind the library is what can only be described as a sizeable restoration project. 

After purchasing the adjacent Queset estate and the property behind the library the Ames Library Trustees have taken it upon themselves to restore the incredible Italian Garden.  Developed by Winthrop Ames in 1911 this garden was once a shining example of the Country Place Era in the United States.  It had fallen into severe decay and disarray but as I stood alongside the grounds I could not help but be impressed by the work these Trustees have put in.  The former Italian Garden is a sight to see even in this early stage of restoration.   

On an island in between Main and Lincoln sits a most unusual piece of historical beauty.  It is called The Rockery(right) and my words will not fully describe exactly what it is.  Created by noted American landscaper Frank Law Olmstead, The Rockery was built in 1882 as a memorial to the citizens of Easton lost during the Civil War.  The memorial itself consists of systematically piled boulders and an archway very similar to those seen in the Ames Memorial Hall.  Unstable and falling apart over the years The Rockery has been fortified and restored to its original dimensions.  There is a dirt walkway atop the memorial that gives one some spectacular views of the North Easton historical district.  I cannot stress enough the need to physically see this most unusual yet beautiful piece of history.

Along the border between Easton and Sharon sits Borderland State Park.  An amazing array of natural beauty it is also surprising to find out that the state park is a National Historic Site.  Once I stepped onto the grounds I found out the reason though.  It all comes back to the Ames family once again.  The 1,782 acre Borderland State Park has a Frisbee golf course, gigantic open fields, horseback riding, and the picturesque Leaches Pond.  However, this land, purchased by Oakes Ames, son of Governor Oliver Ames, in 1906 contained a surprise for me, a three-story, twenty room surprise.  The Ames’s mansion(left) still stands along the edge of a large green field and is virtually unchanged inside and out.  It is magnificently out of place.  The home is available for tours on the third Sunday of the month between April and November.  Leaches Pond which is only a short walk from the mansion was used for scenes of the film Shutter Island.  There is a stone lodge along the shore where the scenes were shot.   

Easton was a spot on my list of places to see for a while and when I finally got the chance it absolutely lived up to my expectations.  It had the amazing historical sites like the Ames Memorial Hall and The Rockery.  These were made more enjoyable by the peaceful ambiance of the historic district.  Borderland State Park is a place that could be visited for weeks in a row and you’d probably find spots yet unseen.  Easton is a hidden gem in Massachusetts that needs to be a destination for all people who enjoy beautiful scenery, historic sites, and small town charm.  I highly recommend taking a day trip here to take it all in.  Have fun and happy traveling!    

Directions:  North Easton Historic District:  From I-495 heading north take Exit 7A for Rt. 24 north.  Take Exit 17B to merge with Rt. 123.  Turn right onto Rt. 138, follow 1 mile turn left at Main Street.  Take a slight right to stay on Main Street.  There is a small parking area in front of The Rockery.  From here it is a short walk to Ames Memorial Hall and Free Library as well. 

Borderland State Park:  From I-495 heading north take Exit 7A for Rt. 24 north.  Take Exit 16B to merge with Rt. 106, follow 5 miles and turn right at Poquanticut Ave.  Turn left at Massapoag Ave, follow 2 miles, park will be on right.

References:  The Italian Garden at Queset

            Borderland State Park

                Easton, Mass. - Official Site