Middlesex Fells Reservation, often referred to simply as the Fells, is a public recreation area covering more than in Malden, Medford, Melrose, Stoneham, and

Winchester Winchester is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs Nation ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

. 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 ...

surrounds two inactive reservoirs,

Spot Pond Spot Pond is a lake in Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. The pond is within the Middlesex Fells Reservation, a Massachusetts state park. It is almost entirely located within the boundaries of Stoneham, Massachusetts. Spot Po ...

and the Fells Reservoir, and the three active reservoirs (North, Middle, and South) that are part of the water supply system for the town of Winchester. Spot Pond and the Fells Reservoir are part of the Wachusett

water system A water supply network or water supply system is a system of engineered hydrologic and hydraulic components that provide water supply. A water supply system typically includes the following: # A drainage basin (see water purification – source ...

, one of six primary water systems that feed metropolitan Boston's waterworks. The park is managed by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation and is part of the

Metropolitan Park System of Greater Boston The Metropolitan Park System of Greater Boston is a system of reservations, parks, parkways and roads under the control of the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) in and around Boston that has been in existence for over a ...

History

The area around Middlesex Fells is known to have been explored by John Winthrop,

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

of the

Massachusetts Bay Colony The Massachusetts Bay Colony (1630–1691), more formally the Colony of Massachusetts Bay, was an English settlement on the east coast of North America around the Massachusetts Bay, the northernmost of the several colonies later reorganized as the ...

, 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 The Spot Pond Archeological District is a historic archaeological site near Spot Pond in Stoneham, Massachusetts. It is located in the Virginia Woods section of the Middlesex Fells Reservation, a state park. The district encompasses sites alo ...

, 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 The Trustees of Reservations is a non-profit land conservation and historic preservation organization dedicated to preserving natural and historical places in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is the oldest land conservation nonprofit orga ...

by Fannie Tudor as a memorial to her daughter, Virginia. As a child Virginia loved to walk in the woods surrounding the Italianate mansion her grandfather had given her mother on Spot Pond in 1862. Virginia died in 1888 in Paris, where she had moved with her mother after the death of her father Henry in 1864; Fannie died in Paris a year after her gift. (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. At some point in the 1800s or earlier, a stone tablet was erected on Great Island, which reads "WHERE SHUTE FELL". There are several contradictory stories explaining the significance of this phrase.

Boston Regional Medical Center Boston Regional Medical Center (often abbreviated to "Boston Regional" or "BRMC") was a 187-bed hospital located in Stoneham, Massachusetts, Stoneham, Massachusetts. Previously known as New England Sanitarium and Hospital and later New England Mem ...

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

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 National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

. The entire area surrounding Spot Pond to the east of I-93 is within the

Middlesex Fells Reservoirs Historic District The Middlesex Fells Reservoirs Historic District is a historic district roughly bounded by Pond St., Woodland Rd., I-93, and MA 28 in Stoneham and Medford, Massachusetts. It encompasses a portion of the Middlesex Fells Reservation, a state par ...

, and the roadways in the park and on its borders are listed as the

Middlesex Fells Reservation Parkways The Middlesex Fells Reservation Parkways are the roadways within and bordering on the Middlesex Fells Reservation, a state park in the northern suburbs of Boston, Massachusetts. The park includes portions of the towns of Malden, Medford, Melr ...

. The park's visitor center on Woodland Road in Stoneham is in the historic John Botume House, which is not far from the 1906

Metropolitan District Commission Pumping House The Metropolitan District Commission Pumping House is a historic water pumping station, adjacent to Spot Pond in the Middlesex Fells Reservation, on Woodland Road in Stoneham, Massachusetts. Built in 1901 by the Metropolitan District Commission ...

. Historically important archaeological sites in the park are listed as part of the

. Roadways connecting the park to other elements of the Metropolitan Park System are also listed; these include the

Fells Connector Parkways The Fells Connector Parkways are a group of historic parkways in the cities of Malden and Medford, Massachusetts, suburbs north of the city of Boston. The three parkways, The Fellsway, Fellsway West, and Fellsway East serve to provide access fr ...

, which connect the park to the

Mystic River Reservation The Mystic River Reservation is a publicly owned nature preserve with recreational features located along the Mystic River in the towns of Winchester, Arlington, Medford, Somerville, Everett, and Chelsea in eastern Massachusetts. The reserve ...

in Winchester, and the

Lynn Fells Parkway Lynn Fells Parkway is a parkway in Greater Boston, Massachusetts, in the United States. It is maintained by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation. The road runs from the end of Fellsway East in Stoneham, eastward through M ...

, connecting the park to the Breakheart Reservation in Saugus.

Activities and amenities

The reservation has over of trails for hiking, mountain biking, cross-country skiing, and horseback riding. Trailheads are accessible from

Interstate 93 Interstate 93 (I-93) is an Interstate Highway in the New England states of Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont in the United States. Spanning approximately along a north–south axis, it is one of three primary Interstate Highways ...

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.

Sheepfold Meadow

Sheepfold Meadow is an open field of located in Stoneham, Massachusetts as a part of the Middlesex Fells Reservation that is now used by dog walkers and picnickers.

References

External links

Middlesex Fells Reservation
Department of Conservation and Recreation
Middlesex Fells Reservation Map
Department of Conservation and Recreation
Friends of the Fells
{{authority control State parks of Massachusetts Malden, Massachusetts Medford, Massachusetts Melrose, Massachusetts Stoneham, Massachusetts Winchester, Massachusetts Protected areas established in 1891 Parks in Middlesex County, Massachusetts 1891 establishments in Massachusetts