Ashland State Park
| Ashland State Park | |
|---|---|
 The spillway below the reservoir dam | |
  Location in Massachusetts  Ashland State Park (the United States) | |
| Location | Ashland, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States |
| Coordinates | 42°14′30″N 71°27′58″W / 42.24167°N 71.46611°W[1] |
| Area | 470 acres (190 ha)[2] |
| Elevation | 230 ft (70 m)[1] |
| Authorized | 1947 |
| Governing body | Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation |
| Website | Ashland State Park |
Ashland State Park is a public recreation area surrounding the 157-acre (64 ha) Ashland Reservoir in the town of Ashland, Massachusetts. The state park's 470 acres (190 ha) incorporate the entire shoreline of the reservoir, which is abutted by the Warren Conference Center and Inn[3] of Framingham State University, town-owned land once the site of Camp Winnetaska (a Girl Scouts camp),[4] and residential houses. The park is managed by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation.[2]
History[edit]
The park was authorized when the Ashland Reservoir, which was completed in 1895, was taken out of service in 1947.[5][6] In January 1954, $30,000 ($340,372 in 2023) was approved by the state's forests and parks agency for construction of a roadway, parking area, beach, and associated structures.[7]
In August 1956, an 11-year-old youth drowned at the park while on a Boys Club outing from Boston.[8] A 28-year-old man from Medfield, Massachusetts, drowned at the park in June 1967.[9] Another drowning occurred in July 1968.[10]
Efforts by state workers in October 1988 to temporarily lower the level of the reservoir in order to expand the beach resulted in a larger than expected release of water, causing basement flooding in two Ashland homes.[11]
Elements of the reservoir were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1990 as Ashland Dam and Spillway.[12]
The park was unstaffed from 2009 through 2012 due to budget cuts and reopened in 2013 with funding to restore facilities that had deteriorated during the shutdown.[13][14]
The film The Sea of Trees starring Matthew McConaughey was partially filmed in Ashland State Park in August 2014.[15]
On August 24, 2016, an ultralight helicopter crashed into the Ashland Reservoir after experiencing engine trouble. No one was injured when the craft submerged in water up to 30 feet (9.1 m) deep some 200 to 300 yards (180 to 270 m) offshore.[16]
Activities and amenities[edit]
The park's trails are used for hiking, bicycling, and cross-country skiing. The park has wheelchair-accessible restrooms, picnic grounds and swimming beach in addition to a ramp for motorized and non-motorized boating and fishing. It is staffed seasonally.[2]
References[edit]
- ^ a b "Ashland State Park". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
- ^ a b c "Ashland State Park". Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Retrieved May 22, 2021.
- ^ "Warren Conference Center and Inn". Retrieved May 27, 2021.
- ^ Petroni, Susan (March 31, 2015). "Girl Scouts Is Closing Its Only MetroWest Camp". Patch.com. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
- ^ "Ashland Reservoir". Massachusettspaddler.com. Retrieved May 22, 2021.
- ^ Logan, Henry G. (July 1, 1948). "State House News". The Morning Union. Springfield, Massachusetts. p. 11. Retrieved June 27, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "State to Spend $462,500 on its Forests, Parks". The Morning Union. Springfield, Massachusetts. January 31, 1954. p. 4A. Retrieved June 27, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "Boston Boy, 11, Downs In Ashland". The Boston Globe. August 5, 1966. p. 28. Retrieved June 27, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "Drowns at State Park". The Morning Union. Springfield, Massachusetts. AP. June 18, 1967. p. 10. Retrieved June 27, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "Fatality at Ashland". The Boston Globe. July 24, 1968. p. 14. Retrieved June 27, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "State's reservoir work floods 2 homes". The Berkshire Eagle. Pittsfield, Massachusetts. AP. October 13, 1988. p. B4. Retrieved June 27, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
- ^ Ishkanian, Ellen (November 10, 2012). "Ashland State Park reopening next year". Boston.com. Globe Newspaper Company. Retrieved February 10, 2013.
- ^ McGagh, Ken (June 22, 2013). "Ashland State Park reopens". MetroWest Daily News. Framingham, Mass.: GateHouse Media. Retrieved August 21, 2013.
- ^ "Matthew McConaughey in Ashland for movie". MetroWest Daily News. Framingham, Mass.: GateHouse Media. August 18, 2014. Retrieved October 3, 2016.
- ^ Miller, Norman (August 25, 2016). "Aircraft crashes in reservoir at Ashland State Park". MetroWest Daily News. Framingham, Mass.: GateHouse Media. Retrieved October 3, 2016.
External links[edit]
- Ashland State Park Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation
- Ashland State Park Map Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation
