Ellisville Harbor State Park is a nature preserve and public recreation area located in the village of
Ellisville,
, United States, on the western shore of
Cape Cod Bay
A cape is a clothing accessory or a sleeveless outer garment which drapes the wearer's back, arms, and chest, and connects at the neck.
History
Capes were common in medieval Europe, especially when combined with a hood in the chaperon. Th ...
. Natural features of the coastal property include a
barrier beach
Barrier islands are coastal landforms and a type of dune system that are exceptionally flat or lumpy areas of sand that form by wave and tidal action parallel to the mainland coast. They usually occur in chains, consisting of anything from a ...
,
sphagnum
''Sphagnum'' is a genus of approximately 380 accepted species of mosses, commonly known as sphagnum moss, peat moss, also bog moss and quacker moss (although that term is also sometimes used for peat). Accumulations of ''Sphagnum'' can store wa ...
bog
A bog or bogland is a wetland that accumulates peat as a deposit of dead plant materials often mosses, typically sphagnum moss. It is one of the four main types of wetlands. Other names for bogs include mire, mosses, quagmire, and muskeg; a ...
,
salt marsh
A salt marsh or saltmarsh, also known as a coastal salt marsh or a tidal marsh, is a coastal ecosystem in the upper coastal intertidal zone between land and open saltwater or brackish water that is regularly flooded by the tides. It is dominated ...
, rolling meadows, and
red pine
''Pinus resinosa'', known as red pine (also Norway pine in Minnesota), is a pine native to North America.
Description
Red pine is a coniferous evergreen tree characterized by tall, straight growth. It usually ranges from in height and in trun ...
forest habitats. Scenic features include views of the
South Shore coastline, small fishing boats,
harbor seal
The harbor (or harbour) seal (''Phoca vitulina''), also known as the common seal, is a true seal found along temperate and Arctic marine coastlines of the Northern Hemisphere. The most widely distributed species of pinniped (walruses, eared sea ...
s seen offshore during fall and winter, and birds attracted to the park's bog as both habitat and migration stopover. The
state park
State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural ...
is managed by the
Department of Conservation and Recreation
The Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) is a state agency of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, situated in the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs. It is best known for its parks and parkways. The DCR's mission is ...
.
[
]
History
Between 2,500 and 5,000 years ago, prehistoric Native Americans hunted, fished, harvested shellfish, and made tools here. An area of approximately , which includes at least two Native American sites, was designated an Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC) in 1980. The state acquired of the ACEC to create the state park in 1991.[ In its earlier days, the harbor was a busy loading spot for ships taking timber to ]Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
and for local fishing.[Park sign.] The park's reproduction colonial farmstead/tavern property is part of the Department of Conservation and Recreation's Historic Curatorship Program The Massachusetts Historic Curatorship Program is a leasing program under the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) that promotes private investment in historic, public properties that are currently empty and in various sta ...
.[
]
Activities and amenities
The park offers opportunities for fishing, hiking, cross-country skiing, and beachcombing.[ A wide main trail of about 350 yards is maintained with a processed stone surface from a parking area to a wide, rocky beach. The ]endangered
An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inva ...
piping plover
The piping plover (''Charadrius melodus'') is a small sand-colored, sparrow-sized shorebird that nests and feeds along coastal sand and gravel beaches in North America. The adult has yellow-orange-red legs, a black band across the forehead from e ...
s and least tern
The least tern (''Sternula antillarum'') is a species of tern that breeds in North America and locally in northern South America. It is closely related to, and was formerly often considered conspecific with, the little tern of the Old World. Oth ...
s nest along a section of the beach which is closed in the spring. Several side trails where poison ivy may cling to trail edges access other areas of the park.
References
External links
Ellisville Harbor State Park
Department of Conservation and Recreation
{{authority control
Plymouth, Massachusetts
State parks of Massachusetts
Massachusetts natural resources
Parks in Plymouth County, Massachusetts
1991 establishments in Massachusetts
Protected areas established in 1991