Acton Conservation Trust has been working with the Town of Acton and the landowners to acquire 2 parcels of land totaling 33 acres on Wetherbee Street. These parcels form the wooded backdrop to the town-owned 72-acre Wetherbee Conservation Land which includes the tilled field that abuts the southern boundary. Adding this 33-acre parcel to the Wetherbee land would preserve the beauty of the view across the tilled fields. In addition it would provide a trail link to the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail which runs on the northeast edge of this property. Nashoba Brook flows along the northern edge of the property and is filtered as it passes through these undeveloped woods.
In a letter to ACT, “the Historical Commission confirmed that Wetherbee Woods has historical value to the town due to the presence of the stone lined catchment, the Captain Thomas Wheeler’s home site, and the Sterba Curtain Array. Wetherbee Woods may also have undiscovered historical elements. The Commission plans to look more deeply into the history of the Sterba Curtain Array.” Pictures of the stone lined catchment can be seen below.
This property has historical elements, connectivity to the rail trail and West Concord, it is connected via Nashoba Brook to a 549 Main Street, a newly conserved property with town wells, and provides habitat for a variety of animals. During our walks we found scat from several mammals and birds, and saw deer.
Pending the successful outcome of negotiations with the landowner, ACT hopes the town is able purchase the property in the future and add it to our conservation land inventory. We’ll be building a “viewing trail” and plan to hold several walks of the property in the future.
Here are some interesting features along the proposed “viewing trail.”
Drone Gallery: Images courtesy of Shawn Eisenberg
-Compass headings are approximate-
The property currently features an old shed or house, and several tall ham radio towers. While these will be removed from the property, it is interesting to have a historical record of prior land use!
