Conserving beautiful and vulnerable landscapes.
Westport Land Conservation Trust
P.O. Box 3975
1100D Main Road
Westport, Massachusetts 02790
info@westportlandtrust.org
Phone: (508) 636-9228
Fax: (508) 636-0587
Place to Walk in Westport, MA
Old Harbor Wildlife Refuge
Land donated by Patience B. and Burton D. Bryan (1975 and 1993), and the Reverend and Mrs. Robert A Lawrence (2010) make up the 76 acre Old Harbor Wildlife Refuge on Old Harbor Road. The property boasts a mature hardwood forest, the headwaters of the Simon Brook, and an extensive network of trails. Well-preserved stone walls indicate that the land was once used for pasture. The old laneway on the north side of the property is called Records Lane. It was the original lane from Old Harbor Road to the West Branch of the Westport River (before River Road). The Land Trust restored walking trails throughout the woodland. The Old Harbor Refuge property extends from Old Harbor Road to River Road, however, the land is too wet to support a connecting trail at this time.
You can visit the remains of what was the Records Family farmstead and imagine farming this land in the 19th century. One is struck by how hard early residents must have worked to stay alive noting the loop trail to the south which goes across a causeway that someone built over a wet area. Along the laneway is a cellar hole and well. There was no house there in 1920 and it is a mystery except to say that Patty Bryan’s brother, Bill Barker, used to play with the boy in the house next door. There are apple trees and pear trees and day lilies still growing around the foundations which must have been planted by the residents. The pastures fell into juniper and blueberries and then the maple and oak trees with their capacity for shade, took over and killed off the juniper and berries. You will still find vernal pools on the north trail – look for the swamp azalea in July. Just south of the Old Harbor Wildlife Refuge is a donation from the Brownell Family of 20 acres. We hope to someday connect the two areas together with trails.
