In today's blog about attractions in the Quincy, Massachusetts area, we visited the Great Esker Park in nearby Hingham. It's another good place to take your dogs, walk, run or just enjoy nature. You'll also learn what an "Esker" has to do with glaciers.
ABOUT GREAT ESKER PARK - A forest-covered gravel ridge and an expansive salt marsh along the Weymouth Back River. Over 6 miles of paved and unpaved trails. Paved trails are stroller-friendly. Beautiful views of the estuary. Launch your canoe or kayak at higher tides at the Puritan Road entrance. Links directly to Julia Road Park and Osprey Overlook Park. Part of the Back River Trail.
The North and South Rivers Water Association has a great webpage about the park. Here's some of the info from that page.
(Photo: Tom and Cody, with Tyler trying to catch up! Credit: R.G.)
ABOUT THE RIVER THAT RUNS ALONG THE PARK - The Weymouth Back River is also known simply as the Back River. In earlier times, this land was within the region of the Wampanoag tribe. Both Native American and European settlers relied on it as a source of food, particularly river herring. In 1982, the Weymouth Back River received the state designation of Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC), “a place in Massachusetts that receives special recognition because of the quality, uniqueness and significance of its natural and cultural resources.”ABOUT THE TRAILS - A wide paved trail extends for about 2 miles along the top of the esker ridge from Bridge Street to Osprey Overlook Park. In general, it is stroller and wheelchair friendly, although portions are hilly and steep. There is also an expansive network of narrower, unpaved trails through the woods and along the edge of the salt marsh. In total, Great Esker Park offers 6.3 miles of trails.
TREES YOU'LL SEE - The forest that grows on top of the ridge is composed of oak, birch and cedar, with some sumac, maple and pitch pine.
HISTORY OF THE AREA - Around 1635, European settlers in Hingham and Weymouth established the Back River as the boundary between the two towns. In later years, the river was home to several industries, including a steel mill, a wool factory, and a fertilizer factory.
In 1912, the Army Corps of Engineers dug a large channel from the river mouth to the fertilizer factory, deepening and widening the river. A similar project deepened the channel in 1943.
Great Esker Park was originally preserved by the U.S. government. It served as a buffer for the U.S. Naval Ammunition Depot (1903-1971), across the river in Hingham (today’s Bare Cove Park). Military patrols would make use of the high vantage points along the esker ridge to guard the base below.
WHEN IT BECAME A PARK - It was sold to the Town of Weymouth, for use as a park, in 1965, through the National Park Service’s Federal Lands to Parks Program. This was due in large part to the advocacy work of local environmentalist Mary F. Toomey. Toomey founded the Great Esker Park Natural Science Center in 1966 and continued to advocate for the Back River throughout her life. She is commemorated on a colorful sign posted on one of the park’s overlooks. This land is within the region of the Massachuseuk (or Massachusett) Native American tribe.
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