Breakheart Reservation – Saugus MA

City:
Saugus, MA

Site Type:
Parks and Recreation, Infrastructure and Utilities, Picnic and Other Facilities, Landscaping and Tree Planting, Paths and Trails, Lakes and Ponds, Flood and Erosion Control, Dams

New Deal Agencies:
Work Relief Programs, Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)

Started:
1933

Completed:
1941

Quality of Information:
Moderate

Marked:
Yes

Site Survival:
Extant

Description

The CCC conducted extensive work on Breakheart Reservation to turn it into a public park. From the Friends of Breakheart Reservation website: “[H]undreds of men lived and worked here, paid $30 a month, out of which they kept $5 and sent the rest home to their families. It was the CCC who helped develop this land into a recreational area with bridle paths, trails, and picnic areas.”

From Wikipedia: “In 1934 the executors for Johnson and Clough sold the Breakheart Hill Forest to the Metropolitan District Commission for upwards of $40,000. The MDC then turned the land over to the Civilian Conservation Corps.[10] Over the course of six years, the CCC built roads and trails, planted trees, and restored the dams at Upper Pond and Lower Pond. The CCC’s efforts resulted in the return of wildlife that had become rare in Breakheart, including beavers, fishers, coyotes, blue herons, and owls. Breakheart was opened to the public in 1936.”

 

Source notes

“History,” Friends of Breakheart Reservation, accessed August 13, 2014. "CCC Work in Massachusetts Forests and Parks,” Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, accessed August 13, 2014. Wikipedia

Site originally submitted by Brent McKee - wpatoday.org on July 13, 2015.

Location Info


Breakheart Reservation
Saugus, Massachusetts 01906
Essex County

Coordinates: 42.488315, -71.034919

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