55 WATERS FARM LOOP

KEY AT-A-GLANCE INFORMATION

LENGTH: 1.8 miles

CONFIGURATION: Loop

DIFFICULTY: Easy

SCENERY: Successional forest with 2,000 feet of frontage on Manchaug Pond, and views of the handsome and historic Waters homestead

EXPOSURE: Mostly shaded

TRAFFIC: Light to moderate

TRAIL SURFACE: Packed earth

HIKING TIME: 1.5 miles

SEASON: Year-round sunrise–sunset

ACCESS: Free

MAPS: Available at Waters Farm

FACILITIES: Restrooms

SPECIAL COMMENTS: Waters Farm is a living-history farm museum that gives visitors a glimpse of 19th-century rural life. The farm hosts many special events year-round, including a donkey show each July and a sleigh rally each February. Check the Waters Farm Web site for details (www.watersfarm.com).

WHEELCHAIR TRAVERSABLE: The trails are not accessible, but wheelchair users can tour much of the farm by way of the drive that links the barns and homestead that are atop a hill overlooking Manchaug Pond.

DRIVING DISTANCE FROM BOSTON COMMON: 59 miles

Waters Farm Loop

UTM Zone (WGS84) 19T

Easting: 269393

Northing: 4665432

Latitude: N 42° 06' 26"

Longitude: W 71° 47' 21"

Directions

From Boston, take Interstate 90 west via the exit on the left toward New York. Portions of this road require you pay a toll. Drive 33 miles then take Exit 10 toward MA 12. After 0.6 miles take the exit on the left toward I-290. Drive 0.1 mile then take the I-290 exit on the left toward Worcester. After 0.2 miles merge onto I-395 south toward Norwich, CT. Drive 5.2 miles, merge onto Sutton Avenue via Exit 4A toward Sutton, and drive 32 miles; there will be a white Baptist church on the right. Take the first right after the church onto Douglas Road. Proceed about 0.3 miles to Waters Farm on the left.

IN BRIEF

Sutton is a quiet town that strives to protect its heritage as a vibrant agricultural community as it welcomes newcomers drawn to its rural appeal. On this hike you will follow paths through woods known by the Nipmuc before the arrival of colonists who felled the trees to make way for livestock and apple orchards. Sights along the way include the magnificent Manchaug Pond and historic Waters Farm, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and actively managed to provide visitors a glimpse of life on a 19th-century New England farm.

DESCRIPTION

In 1673, after surveying the more than 20 “Praying Indian Towns” established in the Massachusetts Colony by his initiative, the Reverend John Eliot said of Hassanamesit, then lying in what is now Sutton, “No Indian town [gives] stronger assurances of success than this [at this time]. Hassanamesit [has] become the central point of civilization and Christianity to the whole Nipmuc country.”

Though Eliot’s words sound sadly naive in hindsight, the reverend was far from ill-informed when uttering them. He was then 69 years old and a resident of Roxbury, Massachusetts, for 42 years. He had long since demonstrated his commitment to bringing God’s word to the Algonquin people by mastering the Algonquin language in order to convey God’s word to the people directly. Astonishingly the first book to be published in America was Eliot’s full translation of the Bible into Algonquin. As his efforts prove, Eliot dearly hoped that all Indians would be converted or “saved” by Christianity. But though it is certain that Eliot was a true man of peace and sought harmony between the natives and the colonists, not all his supporters shared his altruism. Many who feared the Algonquin saw tactical sense in establishing “friendly” Indian towns in an arc around the colony since these could serve as a first line of defense in the event of attack.

Two years after Eliot’s optimistic report on Hassanamesit, King Philip, the son of the Wampanoag Sachem, Massasoit, who had helped the Puritans through their first winter in Plymouth in 1620, declared war on the colonists. The year- long conflict left many settlement towns burned to the ground, King Philip dead, and most surviving Praying Indians exiled to Deer Island in Boston Harbor. Twenty-nine years later John Wampus, a Nipmuc Indian living on Boston Common, sold 8 square miles of land to a group intent on settling what was to become the Township of Sutton.

When Stephen Waters established his family’s homestead on the hill beside Manchaug Pond in 1757, Sutton was on its way to becoming a thriving agricultural community. Producing apples and other goods, the Waters family prospered from one generation and century to the next. The Waters’ remarkable enterprise finally came to an end in 1974 when Dorothea Waters Moran gave her family’s 120-acre farm to the town of Sutton, 217 years after Stephen Waters first walked its ground.

Setting out from the parking area in front of the Darling Barn, hike downhill past a big red bell to a yard littered with antique farm equipment, following the gravel drive as it sweeps to the right into shade cast by overarching oaks and hickories. A house behind a meadow lies off to the right, and straight ahead is a new though rough-hewn barn. An arrow points southeast, toward the Al Beaton Trail, identified with blue markers. Here the surface of the drive changes from gravel to packed dirt. Curving southward, the path passes a curious sunken paddock fenced in by rock face on one side and stone wall on each of the others. Perhaps in farming days of old, this enclosure held a team of off-duty draft horses, or perhaps a prize bull.

Ahead you’ll see a paved road on the right, but heed the arrows pointing left and follow the dirt path as it winds into woods. Shortly, the Al Beaton Trail, now identified by orange and white markers, splits off to the right, but continue straight on what is called Off the Beaton Trail, traveling gently downhill. Formerly a service road used by teams of horses and, later, tractors, this wide route now accommodates hikers, bikers, horseback riders, snowshoers, and cross-country skiers.

Farther on, the trail passes a second trail splitting off to the right. Marked informally with a pink ribbon, this trail—as of this writing—is not yet fully cleared. Regardless, stay with Off the Beaton Trail, which cuts a steeper grade as it heads northeast. After passing another trail, this one marked with white, Off the Beaton Trail arrives at a route identified with two yellow triangles posted on a birch tree. Turn right at this intersection and continue on this new trail hiking southeast.

On the August day that I passed through, the trail was somewhat rough and muddy in places, but thanks to an enthusiastic group of Boy Scouts at work clearing debris, its condition will soon be much improved. Continuing downhill, with upland to the right, the trail runs through farmland reclaimed by woods now dominated by substantial oaks. Reaching the bottom of the hill, Off the Beaton Trail merges with another route, Shore Road, which runs flush to a northwestern finger of Manchaug Pond. Continue to the right, hiking south on level ground. A large but peaceful camp is situated on the bank opposite. Powerboats and canoes are tied up to docks in this sheltered inlet that represents only a tiny portion of the 350-acre pond. As I paused to look across, a mixed flock of chickadees, least flycatchers, and a lone catbird struck up a racket as my rat terrier sniffed the whereabouts of red squirrels and chipmunks.

Making its way up a slight hill, Shore Road provides a steady view of Manchaug’s broad expanse. Big enough to have sizable islands, and whitecaps on a breezy day, Manchaug plunges 30 feet at its deepest point. Settling to level ground, the trail continues along the water, ducking behind groves of trees. Reaching a V-intersection, Shore Road travels away from the pond; the path splintering left leads to a spit of land with a wooden fishing pier built on its end. Stay on Shore Road to pass yet another trail, this one diverting to the right and marked with white. Ahead where the trail splits once more, an unmarked path traipses left toward the pond; the other, marked with a red square, lists southwest toward high ground.

In summer it’s foolish to resist the lure of Manchaug’s deliciously warm water, so venture down trails such as the one to the left and shed at least shoes and socks to dip your feet, or better yet, to dive right in. The rental cottage equipped with a 20- to 30-foot dock at the end of the path will likely spark thoughts of arranging an extended stay.

After enjoying the pleasures of the setting, take up the trail marked with red, following it past a horse jump on the right and a rustic camp with a picnic table on the left. Easing downhill, the trail soon meets a route, marked with pink and white diamonds, that splits off perpendicular to the pond. Turn off here to climb northwest along this winding path through scraggly brush grown in since the Waters family ceased active farming. Private individuals and Boy Scouts forged these trails and maintain them on a volunteer basis.

Continuing on its northwest course up the granite-littered hill ornamented with native laurels, the path intersects the double-white-diamond trail that climbs farther to a broad convergence of trails. At this junction, bear left to follow the trail marked with blue and white. Hiking westward and still gaining elevation, this trail soon forms a “T” with Al Beaton Trail (marked with orange and white). Bear right onto this familiar route to return to the yard of the Darling barn.

NEARBY ATTRACTIONS

One look across Manchaug Pond will make anyone wish for more time in this wonderful place. To avoid regrets, plan to spend more than just an afternoon in the area. King’s Campground, located directly on Manchaug Pond, accommodates all styles of camping including RV, camping trailer, pop-up camper, or tent. The campground has a well-stocked country store, which in addition to groceries sells housewares, beach toys, and live bait (24 Holt Road, Sutton; [508] 476-2534 or [877] 279-3206; www.kingscampground.com).

From I-395 take Exit 4A (Sutton Avenue) and go 3.2 miles. Take a right turn on Manchaug Road. Go 3 miles keeping to the right. After a dam go right on Holt Road. Go 0.25 miles to King’s Campground.