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558 acres | Established 1975 |
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Once home to Nipmuc, then cleared by settlers for open farmland, the Brooks Woodland Preserve is today an undisturbed forest of towering red oaks, hemlocks, and white pine that is being managed to re-create a forest typical of Central Massachusetts at the time of its settlement. Visitors may hike or cross-country ski along many miles of woodland trails and former woods roads.
Old stone walls, reminders of former agricultural use, cross the forest floor, passing through patches of maidenhair ferns, winterberry, and partridgeberry. Some of the original farmland has been kept as open fields within the forest. Along parts of the Swift River, Moccasin Brook, and Roaring Brook, beavers have dammed the stream, creating swamps. A cascade of glacial boulders near outcrops of granite ledge provide dens for porcupines.
Six early-nineteenth-century farmsteads can be rediscovered in the Preserve. Fieldstone cellar walls, porch steps, and a chimney support are all that remain of the former Dudley Farm.
The Preserve is named for Aaron Brooks, Jr's son, James Willson Brooks, lawyer, diplomat, and co-founder of the United Shoe Machinery Company, who set aside more than 2,000 acres of Petersham's forest for conservation purposes, including Harvard Forest with its renowned research center. Adjacent to the Preserve is the 1,500+ acre Rutland Brook Sanctuary of the Massachusetts Audubon Society. |
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| Trails |
| 13.5 miles of trails and woods roads. Moderate hiking. |
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| Literature |
| Printed trail maps are distributed free from bulletin boards in parking areas. Please understand that supplies periodically run out. You may also download trail maps from this web site or mail order trail maps in advance of your visit. |
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| Property Acquisition History |
| Original acreage a gift of the Trustees of Brooks Wildlife Sanctuary (Mr. and Mrs. John Fiske and John Fiske, Jr.) in 1975. Additional land given by John Fiske, Jr. in 1978, 1980, and 1990; Rosalie Fiske in 1989; and Rosalie Johnson in 1999. Additional land purchased in 1994. |
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Telephone:
978-840-4446
E-mail:
central@ttor.org
When to Visit:
Open year-round, daily, sunrise to sunset. Allow a minimum of two hours, longer if also visiting North Common Meadow or Swift River Reservation.
Admission Fees & Permits:
Free to all.
Regulations / Advisories:
Mountain biking is permitted only on designated trails.
How to Get There:
To Roaring Brook Tract: From Petersham center, take East Street .8 mi. to the entrance on left. Reservation abuts North Common Meadow. To Swift River/Connor's Pond Tract: From intersection of Routes 122 and 32 south of Petersham center, go south on Routes 122/32 1.5 mi., then turn left onto Quaker Drive and follow for .5 mi. Entrances on both sides of the road beginning just after the bridge. Roadside parking only at both entrances
Road Map:
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