By John Nye Cullity
The Sandwich Conservation Trust will host its
monthly guided walk this coming Sunday, November 11th, at 2 PM, and
we are pleased to offer something new – the Lower Shawme Pond Loop. We
will begin at the Wing School parking lot, and take the sidewalk down Water
Street (Rt. 130) to the Town Hall. We will turn and head up Grove Street
to Union Braiding Road, and follow the path over the new Upper Shawme Pond Dam,
and back to the Wing School through the Cook Farm Conservation Lands.
This new walk has been made possible by the
passage of three CPA sponsored articles at town meetings in 2003, 2006, and
2010. The first was for purchase of 40 acres bordering Upper and Lower
Shawme Pond, including the ca. 1812 dam, the deteriorating condition of which
had been cause for concern for many years. Second, $400,000 of CPA funds
voted for use in replacing the dam, supplementing a state grant of
$500,000. Third, $12,000 was voted to construct a footbridge over the
dam.
This walk allows us to take in a lot of Sandwich
geography and history, looping right through the old central village, over the
mill stream, uphill to Upper Shawme, a beautiful spring-fed mill pond, and back
through a pleasant, mature forest. At the dam we will see the remains of
the mill site, where the first factory on Cape Cod was built- the Wing Cotton
Mill, later the Sandwich Tack Company, still later, the Union Braiding
Company.
Please note that for safety and practical
reasons, we are limiting this hike to 25 participants, who must register with
me (508) 888-7629, or Joe Queenan (508) 833-0861. There is no charge for
the walk. If our quota fills up before you can register, perhaps you can
join us in the spring, when we will repeat the walk.
The Sandwich Department of Natural Resources
would like the public to be aware of three things – that there is no parking
available on Union Braiding Road, Wing School is best; that there is a gate at
the dam footbridge which should be closed after use; and for canoe/kayak
enthusiasts, there is a well-designed portage next to the dam, do not transfer
your craft elsewhere.
This is a fairly long walk – allow an hour and a
half. Remember to register as noted above, first come first served.
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