The Skug River, said to be named either for the Native American word Skug, meaning Snake, or a misspelling of Skunk River,
/ref> is a riverU.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data
The National Map
accessed April 1, 2011 in

North Andover North Andover is an affluent town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. At the 2020 census the population was 30,915. History Native Americans inhabited what is now northeastern Massachusetts for thousands of years prior to European c ...

Andover Andover may refer to: Places Australia * Andover, Tasmania Canada * Andover Parish, New Brunswick * Perth-Andover, New Brunswick United Kingdom * Andover, Hampshire, England ** RAF Andover, a former Royal Air Force station United States * Ando ...

, and North Reading, Massachusetts that constitutes part of the Ipswich River watershed. The river arises from wetlands just south of Boston Hill in the

Harold Parker State Forest Harold Parker State Forest is a publicly owned forest with recreational features encompassing more than in the towns of Andover, North Andover, North Reading, and Middleton, Massachusetts. Ponds, swamps, rolling hills, glacial erratics and roc ...

, and flows mainly southwest to empty into Martin's Pond in North Reading. From there, Martin's Brook carries its waters onwards to the Ipswich River. The river was dammed over 200 years ago for a sawmill and grist mill. Although the dam has since disappeared, the large stone walls of its millrace can still be seen in the

and

Andover Village Improvement Society The Andover Village Improvement Society (AVIS) is a private land trust in Andover, Massachusetts. Founded in 1894, AVIS is the second oldest land preservation society in the United States. Its goal is to acquire land within Andover and preserve it i ...

Skug River Reservation, as can the old Jenkins Soapstone Quarry abutting the river.

References

A.V.I.S. Skug River Reservation
{{authority control Rivers of Essex County, Massachusetts Rivers of Middlesex County, Massachusetts Rivers of Massachusetts