Many years ago when I was in high school, Liz & I took their little sailboat around Upper Shawme Pond one beautiful summer day. She maneuvered the boat into this little cove to show me the little dam and waterfall between the upper and lower ponds. I never forgot that day, because it wasn't a place that was really accessible to most people. I never got to see it again.
A few years ago the town spent about a million dollars to rebuild the whole thing, putting a large dam, walkway and herring run between the two ponds. I finally found the access road off Grove Street, although you can also use a trail that runs behind Quail Hollow out near the elementary school.
You can't see the waterfall anymore although you can hear it under the bridge. That's the new herring run, or fish ladder, going into the lower pond.
Wildflower seeds were scattered all over the hillsides. It looks amazing in person.
Dock in the upper pond.
Never knew it was called the Cook Farm Dam or that it was built in 1812.
I headed down the path into the woods a little way and went down to the upper pond's edge. We got married on the other side last August.
Totally worth the detour off the main road to see this!
Glad you found it. Those herring runs are odd. Do the herring actually use it do you know?
ReplyDeleteOh yes, they do use it. There are a lot of herring runs in this area. I remember seeing them when I was a kid, at the run downtown next to the grist mill at the lower pond. There's also a huge herring run here in Bourne on the side of the canal.
DeleteYou had your wedding in such a beautiful spot!
ReplyDeleteThanks! Actually it was across the upper pond, not near the dam part. But yeah it was lovely. In the little park across from Liz's parents' house. We wanted to get married in Sandwich but the town is a real pain about where you can do it downtown in public (bandstand at the lower pond, etc), and the other places are overrun with tourists (beaches, boardwalk). This was nice and private.
DeleteWhat a lovely, magical place to explore! ♥
ReplyDeleteIt really is! I was pleasantly surprised. Of course Russell had a lot of his own commentary about the town spending that kind of money on a dam that didn't need to be fixed or updated. lol And their 'self congratulatory plaque'.
DeleteHey JoJo!
ReplyDeleteSome dam nice photos! I'm glad you made that detour. The photos are wonderful with a magical sense of tranquillity.
Gary :)
Thank you Gary! Every time I had to write 'dam', it kept coming out as 'damn'. The damn dam.
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