It's a beautiful time of year to explore nature by canoe or kayak on one of Dunbarton's secluded ponds. These include Kimball Pond (pictured above). Gorham Pond, Long Pond, Purgatory Pond. or the Hopkinton Everett Flood Control Area. Wildlife spotting is best in early morning or at dusk, but the ponds are enjoyable at all times of day and in all weather.
Amazing improvement to mill site
Volunteers recently cleaned up the Hadley Mill site at the Kimball Pond Conservation Area, removing brush, small trees and vines to expose its significant stone foundations. The mill dates from 1771 and was Dunbarton’s first grist mill. The Dunbarton Conservation Commission organized the work and signs were placed by the Dunbarton Historic Awareness Committee.
Helping out were Wayne and Mary Stadelmann, Mike and Sharon Kaminsky, Brett St. Clair Drew Groves and Leo Martel. If you have not been to Kimball Pond in a while it's worth stopping to check out the stone foundations as you turn off Kimball Pond Road. Look for the signs.
Page's & Hadley's mill from an early photograph. Credit: Where the Winds Blow Free
Join us Saturday, May 6
You may not know this, but Kimball Pond was home to one of the first water-powered corn mills in Dunbarton. The original mill was built in 1771. It was later converted to a saw mill. It burned in 1919.
The mill was located on Black Brook as it flows from Kimball Pond. Today, the substantial cut-stone mill race and building (see photo above) may still be seen to the left in the brook as you drive into the boat launch area. The well-defined cellar hole of the mill owner's or workers' residence may be found immediately to the right of the boat launch drive as you turn into it from Kimball Pond Road.
The old mill foundations are becoming covered with vines, small brush and a few trees.
If you can spare the time to help the Conservation Commission clean these up a bit, we'd appreciate it. Meet at 9 a.m. at the Kimball Pond boat launch on Saturday, May, 6. We'll tackle the project rain or shine.
We suggest bringing gloves, loppers, hand saws, bug dope and wearing long sleeved shirts. Pick-ups are needed to haul the stuff we remove to the transfer station.