The Western Greenway

Crossing
Beaver Brook at Rock Meadow, the hiker enters the former Metropolitan
State Hospital. Much of the open space here will become a 240-acre MDC
reservation. Several miles of old carriage roads loop through a variety
of habitats: cattail marshes, red maple swamps, mature oak-hickory
forests, vernal pools, new forests, and open meadows. Because of the
diverse ecosystems, this area is a good place to observe a variety of
wildlife, including species of special concern: wood frogs and painted
turtles. On the west side of the hospital at the end of Marguerite
Avenue is West Meadow, a large “quaking” bog, which is cris-crossed
with paths, enabling hikers to walk across what would otherwise be a
dangerous trek.

Leaving the Met State property on its west side,
the hiker crosses Woburn (Walnut) Street, to the Olympus Hospital
(formerly Middlesex County Hospital). Located in Lexington and Waltham,
this 36-acre site includes a variety of woods and meadows with hiking
paths, and connects to state-owned wetlands behind Falzone Field. The
historic Wellington House is located here along Trapelo Road (just west
of the fire station). Built in 1780 by William Wellington, whose
ancestor settled in the area in 1630, the house is a fine example of
Georgian architecture. Olympus Hospital is in the process of selling
this land, and the future of the open space and house is in imminent
danger.

The hiker can also leave the Met State property on the
south side at Mackerel Hill (the hill in back of the old Gaebler unit,
with the water tower on top), and cross Trapelo Road to the Fernald
Center. Running along the western border of the Fernald Center,
adjacent to the former Army Corps of Engineers site, is a strip of land
with trails. The open space at the Fernald Center is crucial in linking
the greenway to the Beaver Street properties. The Fernald Center is
still in active use by the Dept. of Mental Retardation, but changes in
treatment and housing options have reduced the client census. This
property includes Owl Hill, a 250-foot elevation between Trapelo Road
and Waverley Oaks Road. The hill is largely undeveloped on its north
and south slopes, and is used for sledding by Waltham children. There
are several streams running through the 180 acres of the Fernald
Center, and they eventually flow into Lawrence Meadows.

At the
southwest corner of the Fernald Center is the City of Waltham Forest
Street Recreation Area, originally part of a larger parcel deeded to
the city by the estate of Cornelia Warren. This 11-acre parcel is
located along Forest Street between the former Army Corps of Engineers
site and the Girl Scouts’ Cedar Hill Reservation. A stream draining
from Mount Enoch (location of the Northeast Elementary School) crosses
through the site, and connects with Clematis Brook. This wetland
habitat is protected under state law, since a species of special
concern, painted turtles, has been found here.

Along the
southern border of the Fernald Center are two more parcels that
belonged to Cornelia Warren: the Patriot Trail Girl Scouts’ Cedar Hill
Reservation and the University of Massachusetts’ Lawrence Meadows. A
hiker can trek along this border without entering the Girl Scout camp.
Cedar Hill is fenced for the safety of the children camping there, but
the reservation also acts as an animal corridor within the greenway.
The Cedar Hill reservation includes Clematis Brook, a spring-fed pond,
diverse plant and tree species, and the 1730 Isaac Mixer house. The
75-acre camp has offered generations of girls from around Boston an
opportunity to observe and learn about wildlife, sit around the
campfire toasting marshmallows, and camp out overnight in the woods.

On
the eastern side of Cedar Hill, at the intersection of Waverley Oaks
Road and Beaver Street is a large marsh called Lawrence Meadows, named
for Frederick Lawrence, the farmer who once owned it. Bequeathed to the
University of Massachusetts by Cornelia Warren, this wetlands area
performs an essential function in retaining flood waters. With streams
from Cedar Hill and Owl Hill draining into it, the cattail marsh and
bog provides a habitat for many species, such as red-winged blackbirds.
Clematis Brook crosses under Waverley Oaks Road here and merges with
Beaver Brook.

Situated on the western side of the Girl Scout
camp is another Cornelia Warren bequest, the 15-acre Waltham Woods.
Owned by the City of Waltham, the peak of Cedar Hill here offers hikers
fine views to the south. Waltham science teachers have brought their
classes here to observe the red-tail hawks nesting in the trees.
Visitors can access the site through the Girl Scout reservation. In
several occasions in the past, this site has been threatened with
development by Bentley College and a privately owned hockey area.

Across
Beaver Street from the Cedar Hill Reservation is Cornelia Warren Field,
bequeathed to the City of Waltham and used as a softball field.
Adjacent to Cornelia Warren Field is the University of Massachusetts
Field Station. Until a few years ago, the Extension Service of the
Agricultural School was located along Beaver Street. The farm land is
still used by a variety of non-profit groups, such as the Rose Society
and the Day Lily Society. 5 acres of the land are farmed by the Waltham
Fields Community Farm, which grows organic vegetables for hunger relief
organizations, and provides educational programs about farming to
school groups. Several more acres are used by the Waltham Community
Gardens, which rents land to any Waltham resident for planting flowers
and vegetables. This group offers a much-needed opportunity to garden
for the large percentage of apartment dwellers in the city. The
University of Massachusetts is reviewing the use of this site as part
its overall master plan. If the state is serious about saving dwindling
farmland in Massachusetts, it could begin by retaining this land in its
current use.

Running parallel to Beaver Street is Chester Brook,
a perennial stream which supported mills in several locations along its
path in the past. Beginning at Hardy Pond, the brook runs south along
Lexington Street, turns east and runs along Beaver Street, and merges
with Beaver Brook near Linden Street, an area prone to severe flooding.
Near the current location of the Northgate Apartments stood a grist
mill built by Thomas Rider in 1680, and later Moses Mead’s 1790 mill
(Waltham’s first industry) for manufacturing wooden farm tools. There
were also mills and small ponds located at the Lyman estate.

Following
Chester Brook west past Bentley College, the hiker comes to the Lyman
house, designed by Samuel McIntyre in 1793, and owned by the Society
for the Preservation of New England Antiquities. Located at the rotary
at Beaver Street and Lyman Street, the 37-acre estate includes the
oldest greenhouse (dating to 1803) in the country and is open to the
public. The 18th century English naturalist-style grounds with
beautiful specimen trees and gardens are also open to the public. About
15 years ago, SPNEA considered selling the Lyman Estate, but eventually
decided against this action.

Crossing Beaver Street, the hiker
passes the site of the first Waltham public meeting house, and
Gentleman’s Way, the original Beaver Street. The hiker can then enter
the 134-acre Robert Treat Paine estate, which is owned by the City of
Waltham and open to the public. The hiker can stroll the
handicapped-accessible trails, view the house designed by H.H.
Richardson, and admire the grounds planned by Frederick Law Olmstead.
There are many mature specimen trees on the grounds, as well as
rhododendron and azaleas.

Adjacent to the Paine estate is the
landlocked Chesterbrook Woods which was acquired by the City of Waltham
in 2001. Chesterbrook Woods, formerly known as Coleman/Stanton, was
once planned for development. With no way to access the site by road,
the land has remained undisturbed. With wetlands draining into Chester
Brook, the wooded property adds significantly to the size and value of
the Paine estate grounds, and provides a vital link to the Chester
Brook corridor.

Beginning at Hardy Pond, the Chester Brook
corridor and associated wetlands run parallel to and under Lexington
Street. The brook runs along the west side of Lexington Street, is
culverted at the Wal-Lex shopping center and emerges from the culvert
on the east side of Lexington Street at Lake Street. Cattail marshes
associated with the brook line the east side of Lexington Street in
front of the Kennedy Middle School, the YMCA property, and Bishop’s
Forest Condominiums.

From the back of the Chesterbrook
Apartments (across from the Wal-Lex Center on Lexington Street), the
hiker can enter a 26-acre, varied terrain of woods and wetlands, owned
by Our Lady Comforter of the Afflicted parish. Once known as “Sam
Stearns’ woodlot,” this area was described in 1858 as having been
wooded for many decades, and full of wildlife. An 1830 map of Waltham
shows a substantial, wooded area in this region. Using the parcel as a
woodlot, the Stearns family probably culled out trees, but never clear
cut the woods, making these one of the oldest woods in Waltham.
Middlesex County took the land by eminent domain in the 1930s, and
recently transferred the land to Our Lady’s parish. The parish is now
actively considering selling the land for development. Connecting to
the woods around Waltham’s Northeast Public School, the Our Lady’s
parcel contains a mature woods with a fern-covered floor, pine and oak
covered ridges, a pond and cattail marsh, and a cascading stream that
runs into Chester Brook. Hiking paths originating from Northgate
Apartments and Chesterbrook Apartments weave through these woods,
thereby attesting to its value to the adjacent residents. The city is
currently reviewing options for acquiring this site.