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The Friends ofHemlock GorgeP.O. Box 62 |
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The Friends ofHemlock GorgeP.O. Box 62 |
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Welcome to the Home Page of the
Friends
of Hemlock Gorge Reservation, a community organization
founded in 1990 and
dedicated to preserving and improving Hemlock Gorge.
Hemlock Gorge is a 23-acre reservation along the Charles River between Route 9 to the north and Elliot Street to the south. It was conceived by Charles Eliot in 1892 and is managed by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation. At its heart is the famous Echo Bridge, which dates from 1886. Parts of the park are in Newton, Wellesley, and Needham. In addition to street parking nearby, there are two small parking lots for visitors, one in Needham at the intersection of Elliot Street and Hamilton Place and the other in Newton at the intersection of Ellis Street and Boylston Street. Hemlock Gorge Reservation survived the influenza epidemic of 1918 and even now, in the midst of the covid-19 pandemic, the park is there, in good shape, and a place you can take a walk (socially-distanced, of course) to relieve yourself of the tedium of isolation and seclusion. The Friends of Hemlock Gorge is now a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. Contributions to the Friends are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. Anyone wishing to contribute to the Friends can contact us at friends@hemlockgorge.org. Please consider contributing to The Friends of Hemlock Gorge for our work in 2021. A contribution in any amount is appreciated. Suggested annual dues are $15 for individuals, $25 for families, and $100 for angels. Our donations are managed through PayPal and go directly to our bank.To read our Bylaws, click here. To read our Statement of Purpose, click here. Officers for 2020 are: President: John Mordes; Vice-President: Evan Weststrate; Treasurer: Robin Dexter; Secretary: Sheila Purdy. Our Board of Directors includes Vaunita Schnell, Andreae Downs, Seana Gaherin, and Rena Getz, in addition to the President, Vice-President, and Treasurer of the Friends who serve ex officio. News & Announcements Upcoming Meetings of the Friends Regular Meetings are usually held on the first Tuesday of the month at 7:15 in the evening unless otherwise announced. Our next meeting will be a hybrid Zoom/In-Person meeting on Tuesday, November 9, 2021 at 7:15 p.m., a week later than usual due to the municipal elections on November 2. Because of a change in building-use policy adopted by the City of Newton during the pancemic and the lack of wi-fi, we will not meet at the Emerson Community Center. Instead, if everything works out, we will have a hybrid meeting. It will be both Zoom AND in person at the Waban Library Center at 1608 Beacon Street, just a short distance from Hemlock Gorge. For a map click here For those attending, it will be our first in-person meeting since March 2020. This will be an in person indoor event and we ask that only vaccinated members and guests attend the in-person meeting. Minutes of our meetings are available here. To read our 2020 End-of-Year Annual Report to Members, click here. To find links to much more news of our activities, click here. Upper Falls Village Day, October 3, 2021 Upper Falls Village Day took place on Sunday, October 3 in Pettee Square. The Friends had a booth and the event was a great success. Some photos will follow. The Upper Falls Council unveiled a monument to honor our founding President, Brian Yates, and current president John Mordes gave one of the dedication speeches. 2021 Fall Cleanup of Hemlock Gorge The Friends of Hemlock Gorge’s 40th Annual Fall Cleanup took place on Saturday, October 16, 2020 in very nice weather. We had a very good turnout of about a dozen volunteers. To see a photo archive, click here. 2021 Annual Summer Picnic Our 2021 summer picnic was held on a beautiful Auguet evening at the newly re-roofed Stone Building. It was the Friends' first opportunity to get together in person in more than a year. All our members were vaccinated against Covid and the evening was a perfect pleasure. The grill fired up after a hiatus of two years and we all enjoyed our meals. Unfortunately the building had lost power, so there was no music, but no one seemed to notice. Here are some photos of the event.
Bob Burke, Rena Getz, Sheila Purdy, Jim Purdy, Rep. Ruth Balser, Paul Newton
Picnic by the Circular Dam
Jean Fisher, Lee Fisher, Paul Newton, Sheila Purdy, Rep. Ruth Balser, Rena Getz, Bob Burke, Friends' Prez Dr. John
Dick Schnell, Karen Osborn, Friends' Co-Founder Vaunita Schnell Echo Bridge Stairway: As many of you know, the stairway leading from Echo Bridge down to Ellis Street had been deteriorating. Repairs to the steps were made a couple of times by members of the Friends. Now, thanks to the advocacy of Rep. Ruth Balser working with the MWRA, all the old wood has been replaced with lovely new red cedar. The photos below show the old stairs, the repairs in progress, and the new stairway. The work crew assured us that the iron support structure and railings are in good shape, but these will need attention at some point in the future. To see the original engineering drawings for the stairs from 1900, provided to the Friends by Lee Fisher, click here. The Friends are pleased to recognize Rep. Balser for her work to preserve this historic structure and make it safe.
Many of you will recall that at the dedication of the
Brian Yates memorial, Representative Ruth Balser announced that the new state
budget includes a $50,000 appropriation for restoration of the roof of the Stone
Building. The DCR has completed the project! The photos
below show the old and new roofs! Clicking on the pictures will show a larger version.
We hope to have a ceremony to dedicate the new roof and recognize Rep. Balser's
contribution in October. Click
here to read about the history of the Stone Building
The old roof was installed in 1990. The new shingles and sheeting were
installed on the 1990's rafters.
Public-Private Partnership Application that was Rejected
"...The Friends of
Hemlock Gorge propose to begin the process of making the building a
welcoming Visitors’ Center. Until now, the building, with only a bare
concrete floor, has not been welcoming and is infrequently used. We
propose three initial steps to be taken as a public-private
partnership. Step 1 will be to remove and replace two unsafe ceiling
beams that once supported a second floor. Step 2 will be to install a
perimeter drain to eliminate water seepage. Step 3
will then see the installation of a plastic tile floor comprised of
industrial quality tiles. Our goal is to leverage the state’s
investment, upgrade the restored historic structure, and make it a
welcoming and useful attraction in Hemlock Gorge."
On September 14, 2020, however, the DCR rejected the proposal saying,
"Unfortunately, DCR has to decline the Friends of Hemlock Gorge
Visitor Center project for FY21 Partnership Matching Funds. The stone
building building is currently being used for storage by DCR, and
there is no plan currently to redesign for use as a Visitor Center.
Given its current use and condition, DCR does not want to invest in
any work that invites public access."
Fortunately, Rep. Ruth Balser has secured a
state appropriation of $75,000 to preserve and improve the Stone
Building. We do not need to re-apply.
Linking Hemlock Gorge to the Quinobequin Trail Park
At our September, 2020 meeting the Friends approved a proposal to make
it safer and easier for people to move between Hemlock Gorge to the
Quinobequin Trail along Quinobequin Road. It's a simple proposal to
enhance pedestrian safety by of painting crosswalks, installing ADA
compliant curb cuts, and creating a gap in a guardrail for trail
access. We do recognize that more elaborate measures including walk
lights or speed bumps or using the tunnel under Route 9 might enhance
safety even more, but we believe that this proposal offers a low cost,
very 'do-able' first-step towards solving a significant safety issue.
To see the proposal,
click here.
It was submitted to Rep. Ruth Balser's office on September 22, 2021
and we expect the engineering drawings to be complete by May, 2021.
Linking the Stone
Building to the Ellis Street Parking Lot
Several years ago the state
Department of Transportation reconstructed the intersection of Route
128 and Route 9. As part of the project, a sidewalk was built along
the Route 128 exit ramp next to New Pond, but it was not continued
along the Ellis Street parking lot. we made Rep. Balser aware of this,
we are pleased to say that she has met with officials of the
Department of Transportation and they have assured her that the
sidewalk is going to be completed! This is terrific news. Wit'sork on
the sidewalk was delayed by roadwork on the off ramp to repair gas
leaks, this is now finished and we expect work on the sidewalk begin
soon.
The USGS at Hemlock Gorge
Hemlock Gorge: Past, Present, and Future
At our May 2020 meeting we were joined by Wellesley College student Lara Prebble
who in 2019 wrote this thoughtful
analysis of the history, present state, and possible future of Hemlock Gorge
Reservation. It was her graduation project. Lara reviewed the history of the
park in detail and proposed some improvements that were discussed at the meeting.
she and her adviser have graciously allowed us to share it.
To read her report, follow this link:
A Landscapre Architect's Hemlock
Gorge |
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2021 Spring Cleanup The 2021 spring cleanup was held on Aprill 24, a lovely day. We had about a dozen participants who practiced covid social distancing, gathered trash, and mapped out improvements that we sent along to the DCR. The event ended with a pizza lunch for volunteers. For a photo archive of this and many past clean-ups, click here. Echo Bridge Across the Years and in Music Click here to read the history of Echo Bridge as written by the late historian Ken Newcomb in his online book, Makers of the Mold, published by the Friends of Hemlock Gorge To see stories about Echo Bridge that have appeared on our web site go to: Archive of Echo Bridge news stories. To read a very detailed government report on the Echo Bridge railings, provided to us by Lee Fisher, click here.
To hear the bluegrass classic Echo Bridge by FHG member Mark
Bridger, click
here. Here is Mark's recollection of the recording as recounted in the Upper Falls
Newsletter in November, 2019: "More
than 30 years ago I wrote a song inspired by living near Echo Bridge.
At that time I played mandolin for a local bluegrass band -- with the
eponymous name "Echo Bridge" -- that performed for about a dozen years
in the Boston Area, especially around Newton."
August 6, 2019: Dedication of the Friends' Memorial to Brian Yates and our 2018 Summer Picnic Brian Yates, former Newton City Councilor and the Founder, Past-President, and guiding spirit of the Friends of Hemlock Gorge passed away on March 15, 2019. A granite memorial to Brian has now been placed in Hemlock Gorge close by the Stone Building and the Circular Dam. The dedication took place on the evening of August 6 before our annual summer picnic, which he always hosted. Nearly 60 people attended, including some of his closest friends and colleagues. Rememberances were given by Rep. Ruth Balser, Newton Mayor Fuller, Amy Mah Sangiolo, Bob Burke, and Rena Getz. Vaunita Schnell and Rob MacArthur recounted the history of the saving of the Stone Building from derelection and the long list of accomplishments of the Friends. Finally, three of Brian's cousins attended and spoke. Pictures of the dedication will be posted soon. On August 14 the Newton Tab published an article about the dedication of Brian’s memorial. It’s on the front page of the second section of the printed version. Here is the link to the online version: https://newton.wickedlocal.com/news/20190814/remembering-former-newton-city-councilor-brian-yates Music for the picnic was provided courtesy of Karen Osborn, who also landscaped the Stone Building for the event. Brian loved our picnics. For the archive of past picinics, click here. Rescuing the Stone Building was a key project in the founding of the Friends. To read Brian's History of the Founding of The Friends of Hemlock Gorge, click hereThe Friends of Hemlock Gorge is now an approved 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. Contributions are tax-deductible. Echo Bridge Railings Project Echo Bridge is one of outstanding landmarks of the Metropolitan Parks System. Built in 1876, Echo Bridge was designed by the Boston Water Works (BWW) to carry the Sudbury Aqueduct over the Charles River. The largest of its seven arches is 130’ in length, which made it the second longest masonry arch in the United States. The bridge is remarkable for its graceful and handsome granite and brick design that contribute to the rugged beauty of Hemlock Gorge. The historic cast iron railings pictured above are an integral component of the promenade over which pedestrians and bicyclists traverse daily. After 140 years, however, they are now in serious disrepair. In 2008, the MWRA installed a temporary chain link safety fence inside the historic railings to enable the bridge to remain open. The time has come to either raise the funds to properly replicate the historic railings or to install a more permanent and attractive safety railing system inside the historic railings while leaving the old railings themselves in disrepair. Everyone prefers the former path if at all possible. While State Rep. Ruth Balser was successful in allocating $250,000 in a past transportation bond bill for the railing project, full costs for the project far exceed that amount. In response to the fact that the MWRA cannot fund historic preservation projects decoupled from its water supply mission, a group of citizens has joined together to help raise funds to fix the historic railings, and we invite your support. For more information, please see the minutes of the February, 2019 meeting, other materials on our website, and our flyer. Funds are being sought from multiple sources via a private/public partnership so that the expense of proper restoration is shared across a variety of stakeholders and contributors. Sources will include State funds, Newton and Needham Community Preservations funds, historic foundations, and private contributors. MWRA, the bridge owner, will be the funding recipient and will provide the engineering, contracting, and project management expertise to conduct the project. Will you join us in a pledge? To pledge in suport of this project go to: EchoBridgeRailings@outlook.com
2020 Annual Report
The 2020Annual End-of-Year Report to Members is online.
Click here
to read it. |
Echo Bridge in Summer (Click for a larger image)
Friends' Founding President Brian Yates
The Memorial to Founding President Brian Yates
 The Echo Bridge Railings as they appeared a century ago
Echo Bridge in Spring, 1997 |
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Feast in the Falls 2021
Seana Gaherin and her volunteer committee
successfully arranged the second of her Upper Falls Residents outdoor luncheons on
June 23, 2017. The food was delicious and Jerry Reilly entertained us all
with grandeloquent rap singing. A grand time was had by all. Another
feast is in the planning stage for June 21, 2020 but is hostage for now to covid-19. Links
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The new landscaping at the stone building
The new spillway dam.
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2013 Adelgid News from Bob Burke
Stone Building Windows Three windows were fabricated and installed with protective screens in front of them, replacing the bricks that were there for decades. We thank the Sangiolo family for their generous support of this much appreciated project. We hope at some point to be able to replace more windows. |
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The "Memory House" at Hemlock Gorge Friends member Bob Burke some time ago wrote a lovely guest columnist article about Hemlock Gorge and the Friends' activities that has appeared in the Newton Tab. Highly recommended. Click here to read it. |
Echo Bridge in the Fall
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Links
News Stories General Reservation News: We have moved older Echo Bridge stories that have appeared on our web site to our Archive of News Stories. This is where you will find news of awards, encroachment, politics and such. For news about key concerns of the Friends like the adelgids, Echo Bridge, and the Stone Building are below. In Waban, there was trouble with the trails along the river. See an opinion article and accompanying blog by Jerry Reilly and a front page news article, both in the Newton Tab. Historic Newton Walks Finding the History in Hemlock Gorge Reservation Sunday, June 22, 2017 2:00 PM This walk took place on a gorgeous day, with about three dozen people in attendance. Everyone agreed that Hemlock Gorge is both a beautiful place to walk and the site of much historical importance as Newton's first industrial center. Old maps and photographs helped the group to visualize the mills that were located on the island and along the Charles River and to appreciate the importance of Worcester Turnpike/Route 9 to the area's commerce. The walk was expertly led by Lucy Caldwell-Stair, with whom the gourp found the site of the 1893 Echo Bridge Park amphitheater and the cave, the "Devil's Den," where Native Americans stored dried fish.
Summer 2014The woolly adelgid has now been in the reservation for some 15 years, and it is unclear how many of the hemlocks will survive.We have moved older adelgid stories that have appeared on our web site to: Archive of adelgid news stories. We have archived the entire saga of the adelgids' appearance, our efforts to pass legislation to combat them, the release of the predator ladybugs in 2001, and follow up analyses in the Friends' Adelgid News Stories Archive. Below are some highlights and links.
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A Stone Building News Archive is available by clicking here June 29, 2011 The new windows for the Stone Building, donated in 2002 and fabricated in 2008, are installed. March 1, 2006 In early January, the Friends of Hemlock Gorge succeeded in our application for a Public-Private Partnership with the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR). The Friends earmarked $2500 for a new floor and other repairs to the Stone Building, and that amount will be matched by the DCR. We will post a copy of the correspondence soon. This means that our long hoped for plans to make the Stone Building a great venue for Friends' activities will soon become a reality (February 2006). The new floor will, hopefully, be followed soon by the new windows, for which funds have already been generously donated by the Sangiolo Trust. On February 23, we were notified by the DCR that they are preparing to pour the floor very soon, and that the Friends will be asked for input on design.
Echo Bridge News We have moved older Echo Bridge stories that have appeared on our web site to: Archive of Echo Bridge news stories.Click here to read the history of Echo Bridge as written by the late historian Ken Newcomb in his online book, Makers of the Mold, published by the Friends of Hemlock Gorge |
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| Occasional Notes: The Joys of Hemlock Gorge | |
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Four Seasons of Hemlock
Gorge
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Spring 2000 |
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Summer 2000 |
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Fall 2000 |
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Winter 2001, taken during the storm of March 5-6 |
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| Doug Cornelius posted a lovely account of canoeing through Hemlock Gorge
a few years ago with
pictures.
Click here to see it. Another collection of photos of Hemlock Gorge is at Boston Online: Click here to see them.
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Publications of the Friends
Makers of the Mold, a full-length illustrated history of the Newton Upper Falls community which borders Hemlock Gorge, is available only on the Web. Authored by Historian, Conservationist, and Friend Ken Newcomb, who passed away in 2002. Copies of the print edition of The Makers of the Mold can be purchased online and are also available at several local restaurants, convenience stores and cafes. The full list of outlets can be found here.
A Walking Tour of Hemlock Gorge
This work is available only at this Web site.
A Landscapre Architect's Hemlock Gorge
Wellesley College student Lara Prebble wrote this thoughtful analysis of the history, present state, and possible future of Hemlock Gorge Reservation in 2019. It was her graduation project. Lara, soon to be a student in the Harvard Graduate School of Design.
1. Our most important Resource is People!
3. Contemporary Challenges Facing the Hemlock Gorge Reservation
4. Local Governmental, Civic, and Conservation Organizations Online
| The Friends were honored with a beautification award from the City of Newton in 1997. Click here for the story. Click on the small picture to see a larger image of the award. |
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