Bradley Palmer State Park
Encyclopedia
Bradley Palmer State Park is a Massachusetts
state park
located in Hamilton, Massachusetts
and Topsfield, Massachusetts
. The park is managed by the Department of Conservation and Recreation
. The park is based on a former estate willed to the state expressly for the use of its citizens on the death of its owner, Bradley Palmer. The Bradley Palmer mansion, former host to secret or high-level government conferences in the FDR era, has been restored by the state and may be rented for private functions. The former barn and garage facilities have been turned into a headquarters and maintenance center. Also on the grounds is a colonial farmhouse currently being restored and a caretaker's house. Entrance to the park is through the north gate; the old south gate is permanently closed. Through traffic is not allowed. Near the south gate a wading pool with overhead fountain has been constructed. It has an entrance fee, the only one in the park. A connecting paved road runs through the park.
Bradley Palmer State Park is a 721 acres (2.9 km²) park that features meadow
s where blueberries can be picked, equestrian runs, stands of climax white pine
and hemlock
, and a central paved road lined with white pine and in one stretch of a few hundred yards of rhododendron and mountain laurel thickets. The estate is bordered on the north by the Ipswich River and Willowdale State Forest. Some of the land there is private but the park has contiguous access to the ruins of Willowdale Mill, a colonial structure.
The Discover Hamilton Trail loops through the park. Willowdale State Forest is just north of Bradley Palmer.
Besides being open to public at will, the park has many structured uses. It is currently used as the home field for meets of the Masconomet Regional High School
Cross-county Team. In the autumn the neighboring horse farms conduct fox hunts (they bring their own fox). Sometimes equestrian meets are held there. Numerous hurdles are in evidence in the equestrian runs, which are periodically mowed. Horses brought in by trailer at will may usually be seen on any non-winter day, more so toward the autumn.
of Bradley Palmer
, a noted attorney
of the early 20th-century.
During the 1960s and '70s the park was the location of the Massachusetts Civil Defense Training Academy. The academy utilized the rooms of the Willow Dale estate as classrooms, dormitory and mess facilities. A disaster town was constructed in a clearing apx. One-quarter mile east and consisted of a burn house, five story rappelling tower, shed class rooms and four collapse building simulators.
In the autumn group equestrian events are more frequent. The pedestrian is cautioned to be alert for galloping horses and not depend entirely on the alertness of the riders. Also in the autumn the privacy of the unsuspecting visitor is likely to be unexpectedly interrupted by teams of cross-country runners.
Poison ivy grows extensively in the picnic areas.
Although the Ipswich River has had swimming holes in the past, swimming from the bridges is not currently permitted. In places the currents are dangerous. In the spring and autumn the swift flood currents are hazardous.
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
state park
State park
State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the federated state level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural beauty, historic interest, or recreational...
located in Hamilton, Massachusetts
Hamilton, Massachusetts
Hamilton is a town located in the eastern central portion of Essex County in eastern Massachusetts. It is primarily a suburban bedroom community, most commonly known for its equestrian estates...
and Topsfield, Massachusetts
Topsfield, Massachusetts
Topsfield is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 6,085 at the 2010 census.Part of the town comprises the census-designated place of Topsfield.-Colonial period:...
. The park is managed by the Department of Conservation and Recreation
Department of Conservation and Recreation (Massachusetts)
The Department of Conservation and Recreation is a state agency of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, situated in the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs. It is best known for its parks and parkways. As of May 24, 2011 the Commissioner of the DCR is Edward M. Lambert, Jr...
. The park is based on a former estate willed to the state expressly for the use of its citizens on the death of its owner, Bradley Palmer. The Bradley Palmer mansion, former host to secret or high-level government conferences in the FDR era, has been restored by the state and may be rented for private functions. The former barn and garage facilities have been turned into a headquarters and maintenance center. Also on the grounds is a colonial farmhouse currently being restored and a caretaker's house. Entrance to the park is through the north gate; the old south gate is permanently closed. Through traffic is not allowed. Near the south gate a wading pool with overhead fountain has been constructed. It has an entrance fee, the only one in the park. A connecting paved road runs through the park.
Description
Meadow
A meadow is a field vegetated primarily by grass and other non-woody plants . The term is from Old English mædwe. In agriculture a meadow is grassland which is not grazed by domestic livestock but rather allowed to grow unchecked in order to make hay...
s where blueberries can be picked, equestrian runs, stands of climax white pine
White Pine
-Trees:* Trees in the pine subgenus Pinus subgenus Strobus** Eastern White Pine , one of these species, native to northeastern North America...
and hemlock
Hemlock
The word hemlock may refer to:*Hemlock, several poisonous plants in the Apiaceae family :**Hemlock , two species, one formerly used as a method of execution**Water Hemlock...
, and a central paved road lined with white pine and in one stretch of a few hundred yards of rhododendron and mountain laurel thickets. The estate is bordered on the north by the Ipswich River and Willowdale State Forest. Some of the land there is private but the park has contiguous access to the ruins of Willowdale Mill, a colonial structure.
The Discover Hamilton Trail loops through the park. Willowdale State Forest is just north of Bradley Palmer.
Besides being open to public at will, the park has many structured uses. It is currently used as the home field for meets of the Masconomet Regional High School
Masconomet Regional High School
Masconomet Regional High School is located in Topsfield, Massachusetts, and serves the towns of Boxford, Middleton and Topsfield.Masconomet Regional Middle School serves grades 7 and 8 while the Masconomet Regional High School serves grades 9 through 12. Both schools are located on the same property...
Cross-county Team. In the autumn the neighboring horse farms conduct fox hunts (they bring their own fox). Sometimes equestrian meets are held there. Numerous hurdles are in evidence in the equestrian runs, which are periodically mowed. Horses brought in by trailer at will may usually be seen on any non-winter day, more so toward the autumn.
History
The park is the former estateEstate (house)
An estate comprises the houses and outbuildings and supporting farmland and woods that surround the gardens and grounds of a very large property, such as a country house or mansion. It is the modern term for a manor, but lacks the latter's now abolished jurisdictional authority...
of Bradley Palmer
Bradley Palmer
Bradley Webster Palmer was the son of a wealthy Pennsylvania family of Republican lawyers and congressmen who sent him as a teen-ager to be educated in the best private schools of Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Graduating from Harvard College in 1888 he went on for a year at Harvard Law and then...
, a noted attorney
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
of the early 20th-century.
During the 1960s and '70s the park was the location of the Massachusetts Civil Defense Training Academy. The academy utilized the rooms of the Willow Dale estate as classrooms, dormitory and mess facilities. A disaster town was constructed in a clearing apx. One-quarter mile east and consisted of a burn house, five story rappelling tower, shed class rooms and four collapse building simulators.
Recreational opportunities
- Running (Cross-Country)
- Wading pool and fountain
- Canoeing
- Fishing
- Hiking
- Horseback Riding Trails
- Biking
- Picnicking
- Restrooms
- Skiing (Cross-Country)
- Walking Trails
Park hazards
Many of the trails over the hills were constructed environmentally improperly straight up and down slope instead of following the contours. Consequently erosion has turned them into dry stream beds or ravines dangerous and unsuitable for hiking due to loose boulders and gravel and uneven terrain. Despite many efforts of the park attendants to level, fill and mulch, these trails remain in bad condition. This long-standing problem remains to be solved. Some are closed to the public, which is warned by signs against their use.In the autumn group equestrian events are more frequent. The pedestrian is cautioned to be alert for galloping horses and not depend entirely on the alertness of the riders. Also in the autumn the privacy of the unsuspecting visitor is likely to be unexpectedly interrupted by teams of cross-country runners.
Poison ivy grows extensively in the picnic areas.
Although the Ipswich River has had swimming holes in the past, swimming from the bridges is not currently permitted. In places the currents are dangerous. In the spring and autumn the swift flood currents are hazardous.
External links
- Official Website: http://www.mass.gov/dcr/parks/northeast/brad.htm
- Trail Map: http://www.mass.gov/dcr/parks/trails/bradley.pdf
- Discover Hamilton Trail map: http://www.mass.gov/dcr/parks/trails/hamiltonTrail.gif
- Video of trees and birdsong in park, April 2011