Signal Hill is a open space preserve located in
Canton
Canton may refer to:
Administrative division terminology
* Canton (administrative division), territorial/administrative division in some countries, notably Switzerland
* Township (Canada), known as ''canton'' in Canadian French
Arts and ent ...
, in the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...
of
; it is centered on a rocky knoll by the same name. The property, acquired in 2005 by the land conservation non-profit organization
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 ...
, offers frontage on the
Neponset River and views of
Great Blue Hill and
Downtown Boston from open ledges. The Signal Hill preserve also includes wetlands, open fields, and a
car-top boating
Car-top boating is the recreational activity of boating via watercraft that can easily be transported on the roof of a passenger motor vehicle. Boats that fall into this category include most canoes and kayaks as well as small rowboats, bass boats ...
access point.
Signal Hill contains the Wamsutta archaeological site, discovered during construction of
Interstate 95
Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, running from US Route 1 (US 1) in Miami, Florida, to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between Maine and the Canadi ...
, which was a seasonal camp for
paleo-Americans
radiocarbon dated by nearby charcoal remains to 12,140 before present,
around the time of the last
glacial retreat
The retreat of glaciers since 1850 affects the availability of fresh water for irrigation and domestic use, mountain recreation, animals and plants that depend on glacier-melt, and, in the longer term, the level of the oceans. Deglaciation occur ...
, when rapid melting of the
Wisconsin continental glacier created the mile-wide channel through which today's Neponset River flows. At this time, Signal Hill was a peninsula extending into a large lake of glacial meltwater.
It is currently abutted by
Interstate 95
Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, running from US Route 1 (US 1) in Miami, Florida, to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between Maine and the Canadi ...
as well as industrial and suburban land to the east, and river floodplain to the west. The preserve is open to non-motorized carry-in boating, hiking, picnicking, fishing, and similar pursuits. A trailhead for the 1.3 mile trail system
is located on University Road in Canton.
Gallery
File:Signal Hill, Canton MA.jpg, The hill in Winter
File:Signal Hill P1130635.jpg, View of Great Blue Hill
File:Signal Hill P1130637.jpg, View of Downtown Boston skyline
File:Signal Hill P1130640.jpg, Neponset River
References
External links
The Trustees of Reservations
Protected areas of Norfolk County, Massachusetts
The Trustees of Reservations
Open space reserves of Massachusetts
Landforms of Norfolk County, Massachusetts
Hills of Massachusetts
Protected areas established in 2005
2005 establishments in Massachusetts
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