Fork Factory Brook
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Fork Factory Brook
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 Remains of a former mill in the reserve |
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| location | Massachusetts , United States | |
| surface | 55 ha | |
| Geographical location | 42 ° 12 ′ N , 71 ° 17 ′ W | |
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| Setup date | 1966 | |
| administration | The Trustees of Reservations | |
Fork Factory Brook is a 135 acres (54.6 ha ) large nature reserve near the town of Medfield in the state of Massachusetts of the United States , which by the organization The Trustees of Reservations is managed.
History and today's protected area
In the 18th century, the Long Acre Farm was located on the site of what is now the protected area . This farm was self-sufficient and had livestock, planted crops and harvested hay. Ropes from hemp were also made there , and flax fibers and wool were processed. The range was supplemented by butter and cheese as well as the processing of animal by-products into candles and shoes.
In the neighborhood, Joshua Morse ran a flour mill at Mill Brook from 1771 . In the late 1830s, Henry Partridge bought two more mills; one producing nails on the south side of what is now Massachusetts Route 109 and a flour mill on the north side of the road. He rebuilt both of them so that together they formed a factory for the production of forks ( English fork factory ), after which today's protected area was named.
Partridge, together with his brother-in-law Malachi Babcock, a blacksmith , had developed a very high quality steel that they already used in their factory in Sherborn (Massachusetts) to manufacture tools such as rakes , hatchets, knives, broad axes and plows . The Medfield site was a welcome opportunity for them to grow their business and add farming supplies such as pitchforks, shovels, spades and hoes. In view of the annual production of more than 1000 tons of hay and extensive livestock, the region's demand was very high, so the conversion of the two former mills quickly paid off. Partridge later built another mill to cut granite .
After the Civil War , new owners used the factory to cut paper, but had to go out of business with increasing competition from the coal- using industry. When the city decided to widen Main Street (Route 109) in 1927, the factory building was demolished and the granite was reused to build a house on Foundry Street . Today a large part of the former factory site is located directly under the asphalt of Route 109. Only a few remains are still visible.
The first section of today's protected area was given to the trustees in 1966. Another part was acquired in 1978 and a supplementary donation followed in 1985. 1.5 mi (2.4 km ) of hiking trails are available to visitors.
See also
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Property History. The Trustees of Reservations , accessed January 12, 2014 .
- ↑ About Fork Factory Brook. The Trustees of Reservations , accessed January 12, 2014 .
