Bay Farm Trails

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, M , D ASSACHUETTS UXBURY

Map Works Map

KINGSTON

C C D OMMISSION ONSERVATION UXBURY

Art Vautrain, Contributor Vautrain, Art

Jones River Jones

Dick and Olga Rothschild, Contributors Rothschild, Olga and Dick Parking

Doug Hurley, Contributor Hurley, Doug ARM F BAY BAY

Patrick Browne, Exec. Director, DR&HS Director, Exec. Browne, Patrick

Katherine Pillsbury, Town Historian Town Pillsbury, Katherine

Kingston Bay Kingston

DUXBURY

Eija Heward, Artwork Heward, Eija o L

Scott Hecker, Artwork Hecker, Scott Dianne Laxton, Production Laxton, Dianne

t e Administrator Conservation Grady, Joe

Exit 10 Exit

3A S Intern Conservation

Ken MacKenzie, Production MacKenzie, Ken a

3 P C B F B ONTRIBUTORS ROCHURE ARM AY

Commonwealth. Duxbury.

The property is open to all citizens of the of citizens all to open is property The Plum Island in Newburyport to Bay Farm in Farm Bay to Newburyport in Island Plum

Commission 781-934-1104. Commission of green space in an Emerald Necklace from Necklace Emerald an in space green of

• Questions-Duxbury Conservation Questions-Duxbury • Bay Circuit Trail forms a chain linking 79 areas 79 linking chain a forms Trail Circuit Bay

Department 911 or 781-934-5656. or 911 Department semicircle around metropolitan Boston. The Boston. metropolitan around semicircle

• Report emergencies to the Duxbury Police Duxbury the to emergencies Report • oughly between routes 95 (128) and 495 in a in 495 and (128) 95 routes between oughly r

• Do not create any new trails. new any create not Do • to the south shore. The 200-mile-long trail lies trail 200-mile-long The shore. south the to

camping, or fires. or camping, greenbelt ringing Boston from the north shore north the from Boston ringing greenbelt

• No hunting, trapping, firearms, overnight firearms, trapping, hunting, No • devised a concept in the late 1920s of a of 1920s late the in concept a devised

• No motorized vehicles. motorized No • of a single urban planner. Charles Elliot II Elliot Charles planner. urban single a of

• No horseback riding. horseback No • Circuit Trail (BCT). The trail is the grand vision grand the is trail The (BCT). Trail Circuit

under the direct control of the handler. the of control direct the under Bay Farm is the southern terminus of the Bay the of terminus southern the is Farm Bay

Dogs are not allowed unless on a leash or leash a on unless allowed not are Dogs • •

Understanding. runs through the Kingston side of Bay Farm. Bay of side Kingston the through runs

the consent of all parties to the Memorandum of Memorandum the to parties all of consent the parallel unparalleled view of the bay. The 42 The bay. the of view unparalleled

nd nd

conservation values of Bay Farm are allowed with allowed are Farm Bay of values conservation and a rolling countryside grassland with an with grassland countryside rolling a and

Special recreational activities consistent with the with consistent activities recreational Special fishing, marshland, native American artifacts, American native marshland, fishing,

ing, fishing, and cross-country skiing are allowed. are skiing cross-country and fishing, ing, ledge with tidal pools, access to deep channel deep to access pools, tidal with ledge

esources. Nature study, hiking, jogging, picnick- jogging, hiking, study, Nature esources. r short trails leading to a sandy beach, a rocky a beach, sandy a to leading trails short

F B ARM AY

stantially alter or threaten the natural and cultural and natural the threaten or alter stantially offers more value per acre. You can explore can You acre. per value more offers

ecreational use of Bay Farm that does not sub- not does that Farm Bay of use ecreational r Farm. On its 80 acres no other parcel of land of parcel other no acres 80 its On Farm.

Environmental Management provides for passive for provides Management Environmental

to spectacular water views, you will enjoy Bay enjoy will you views, water spectacular to

TO ELCOME

Duxbury, Kingston and the Mass. Department of Department Mass. the and Kingston Duxbury, walker, or covet a stroll through waving fields waving through stroll a covet or walker,

A Memorandum of Understanding between Understanding of Memorandum A Whether you are a bird watcher, angler, dog angler, watcher, bird a are you Whether

W R R ELCOME EGULATIONS AND ULES

A FARM STORY BAY FARM TODAY Discovery of artifacts at Bay Farm tells us this In the 1960s, after Route 3 was opened, Farm land, consisting of 29.4 acres was picturesque land at the edge of Kingston Bay Duxbury’s population rose at an alarming bought by the town of Kingston Conservation was occupied by Native Americans long before rate. That unprecedented growth, from 4727 Commission and a third strip of land of 7.75 1627 when Duxbury landowners from the residents in 1960, to approximately 7000 acres was bought by the Massachusetts Plymouth Colony began to farm the rolling residents in 1968, prompted the Conservation Department of Environmental Management. fields. Almost three centuries later, Atherton Commission to mount a vigorous effort to An incentive for the purchase of the remain- Loring and two partners incorporated the land conserve Duxbury open space. ing land was a grant opportunity from the into a huge tract stretching from Tremont state’s Self-Help Program, providing reim- Street (Route 3A) to Kingston Bay where, in On December 28, 1967, the Conservation bursement to Kingston for a portion of the 1904, they established the Bay Farm Company, Commission met with the owners of Bay land to ensure it would be preserved as open an early version of today’s agribusiness. Farm who agreed to sell the property of about space. This once 44-acre site was now ex- Though it was primarily a dairy enterprise, 44.1 acres to the town for the purpose of panded to more than 80 acres, which straddle livestock, including cows, bulls, heifers, horses, conservation. It was not until January 10, the Duxbury-Kingston border. The site is hogs, roosters, pullets, and chickens were also 1973, that the 44 acres was officially sold to managed under a combined agreement called raised. The Lorings were partial to their cows the town. The land is now held under the a Memorandum of Understanding among the often naming each for her unique appearance protection of the Duxbury Board of Select- three owners. Even the 80 acres of preserved or personality, such as Dollface and Petunia. men. In 1989, another strip of wooded Bay land is only a portion of the total farm that was once here. The farm consisted of two main buildings, It was agreed that the the dairy and stable area be set aside for with several outbuild- recreation. It has ings. The stable accom- become a popular modated 75 cows. area for dog walkers, cross-country skiers, In the late 1940s, hikers, joggers, and sometime after the birders who enjoy the White Brothers had large open, grassy taken over the farm, field. Fishermen the barn and several frequent the large outbuildings were granite rocky outcrop bought by the Duxbury known as Cedar Rocks Playhouse. The Duxbury for bluefish and Playhouse, run by a bud- striped bass. ding group of thespians, was converted into a theater with a revolving stage where plays were produced until 1950.

View from Bay Farm BAY FARM TRAILS

JONES RIVER

KINGSTON BAY

Salt Marsh Southern Terminus of nge Bay Circuit Trail Rock Ledge Ora Beach

Out to River Street White Cedar Trees

e g n a Ye r llow O Wooded

Private Private Shrubs Home

White

Duxbury

o w

Kingston

a Field o

O Cedar Grove

Wooded

Y e l lo Yellow w Field

White Private Cedar Grove

Wooded

Private Home Wetlands Kiosk

BAY R OAD Parking Bay Circuit Trail Sign

LA NDI NG R OAD

0 200 400 FEET

dlaxton 08/2004

BAY FARM A majority of Bay Farm is open field covered in the summertime Bay Farm is an excellent example of forest regeneration. About 1900, with wildflowers and singing birds. This open field attracts a variety there were few trees remaining in Duxbury. The trees were harvested of wildlife. From the delightful chorus of the bobolink singing from for building ships, housing, firewood, and other wood products. the tops of the long grass to the long cries of raptors such as red- Because one-half of Bay Farm is mowed every year, it is not given the tailed hawks, birds are probably the most plentiful. The field is also chance to grow back to forest. However, the Kingston portion of the utilized by fox and coyote for hunting, the grazing of white-tailed land has been allowed to regenerate. As you are walking through the deer and in the warm evenings of June, you can see a laser light Cedar grove, you can see what has grown in the last 30 years. show of fireflies.