Round Pond is much
more than just a pond. The property’s namesake – a 10,000-year old kettle hole
-- lies at its center. Pine and oak woods surround the pond, and contain a
number of intersecting, well-marked trails, some of which traverse wetlands via
boardwalk. There are other surface waters nearby too – active cranberry bogs
and reservoirs, other ponds, and even a small lake. The property comprises 170
acres in total.
According to
Duxbury’s handy property guide (available on the town website), in the 1880s
Round Pond was known as Cole’s Pond, and was the site of the Merry Family’s ice
house. During the winter, ice from the pond was cut into blocks and stored
nearby, with sawdust for insulation. Amazingly, this kept the ice intact into
the spring and summer, when it was delivered to private homes. The ice
operation continued into the 1940s, after which refrigerators rendered it
obsolete.
The property’s “icy”
history goes much farther back, though. Kettle hole ponds are formed by melting
glaciers, and this one dates back to about 10,000 BCE. According to Samantha
Woods, NSRWA’s Executive Director, natural ponds such as this are unusual in
our area. Most of the South Shore’s ponds were formed “as a result of the industrial damming of our rivers, first to run saw and
grist mills . . . and then (later) for factories.”
As far back as the
1890s, the Duxbury Rural and Historical Society began protecting and preserving
the area around the pond, purchasing a total of almost 50 acres. The current
trails were opened decades later, in 1986, the result of a joint effort by the
Rural and Historical Society and Mass Audubon, which maintains the adjacent
wildlife sanctuary at North Hill Marsh.
The trails at Round
Pond are ideal for walking. Many of them are wide enough to accommodate two or
more people. I encountered several dog-walkers the morning I was there, as well
as a few runners. From the appearance of some of the secondary trails, it looks
like mountain bikers enjoy the property as well (I’ve heard that the trails
across the street are more appealing for cyclists, however). There is also a
nicely-placed wooden bench overlooking the pond.
You can access Round
Pond via Mayflower Street, where there is a good-sized parking area. There is
also foot access from East Street and near the intersection of Elm and School Street
and Tobey Garden Road. Dogs are welcome, provided that they are under control
at all times, and cleaned-up-after. Motorized vehicles are prohibited, as are
hunting and trapping.
by Kezia Bacon
November 2014
Kezia Bacon's articles
appear courtesy of the North and South Rivers Watershed Association, a local
non-profit organization devoted to the preservation, restoration, maintenance
and conservation of the North and South Rivers and their watershed. For membership
information and a copy of their latest newsletter, contact NSRWA at (781)
659-8168 or visit www.nsrwa.org. To browse 15 years of Nature (Human and
Otherwise) columns, visit http://keziabaconbernstein.blogspot.com
