Old Names in Lynn Woods
by Ranger Dan Small
(originally published in July 2003 newsletter)
As I type these words, the winter of 2003 is finally losing its grip on the woods. The ice is gone and the last of the snow exists in pockets protected from the sun by overhanging branches. I had big plans for this winter. I was going to finish re-marking all of the trails, replace all of the missing and damaged intersection markers, and install "site signs" at points of interest using some of the old, often forgotten names for places in the park. The snow arrived on Christmas and never melted. More snow fell and it compacted into ice. Any of you who visited the park this winter know that footing was treacherous and carrying a ladder around on the ice was definitely out. So much for my plans!
Bringing back some of the old time names is especially interesting to me. The history of the park is well documented and I am lucky to have a treasure trove of books, maps, reports, and newspaper clippings at the Park House. The site signs were never installed, but I did have time to research some of the old names. Some of these were already known to me: Forest Castle, Cornel Path, and the Old Pines were names that appeared frequently and were located on old maps and documented with photographs. Others, such as Sugar Loaf, Halfway Rock, and Poet's Dell, were new and their origins and locations remain a mystery.
I compiled a list of these names and what information I could uncover. It is hardly complete and possibly not accurate.
- Burrill's Pines, Pratt's Pines (destroyed during golf course construction)
- Fern Dell (near Hemlock Ridge, exact location unknown)
- Glen Dagyr (near Hemlock Ridge, location known)
- Forest Castle (rock formation off Cornel Path, location known)
- Cornel Path (cornel is an old-fashioned name for dogwood, which used to line this path)
- Fuller Path (in Saugus portion of park, part of current trail system, location known)
- Valley Path (path that runs from Wolf Pits toward Nell's pond, location known)
- Old Pines (off Ox Pasture Road, location known)
- Cliff Trail (off Ox Pasture Road, location unknown)
- Pow Wow Trail (off Ox pasture, probably part of Bow Ridge Trail)
- Sugar Loaf (boulder along Great Woods Road, exact location unknown)
- Pratt's Bridge (outflow from Long Swamp beneath Dungeon Road, location known)
- Dungeon Vale (location of Jackson Cottages? at end of Jackson Path?)
- Mudge's Grove (near Dungeon Rock, location unknown)
- Poet's Dell, named for poet Maria Augusta Fuller (location unknown)
- Newhall's Brook (near Lantern Rock, location unknown)
- Halfway Rock (on Dungeon Road, location unknown)
These names are part of the park's history and should not be allowed to be forgotten. I would be very interested in hearing from anyone who had more information about these or knows of more old time names to investigate. Call me at 781-477-7123 or send an e-mail to lwranger@shore.net.