Harold Parker State Forest: Collins Pond Dam - North Andover MA

City:: North Andover, MA
Site Type:: Dams, Parks and Recreation, Infrastructure and Utilities
New Deal Agencies:: Work Relief Programs, Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)
Started:: 1933
Completed:: 1938
Quality of Information:: Very Good
Marked:: No
Site Survival:: Extant

Description

Collins Pond Dam is the most important of all the dams constructed by the CCC in Harold Parker State Forest. This dam is connected to a large retaining wall that surrounds the pond and it impounds a large quantity of water.

The dam is currently is poor condition and it is not clear who is in charge of monitoring or repairing the dam. Many people were contacted in an effort to get information on the dam (North Andover Directory, North Andover Conservation Management, Massachusetts Office of Dam Safety and Removal, and the Department of Conservation and Recreation). However, it was difficult to find out if the dam had been reconstructed since the original creation. According to the Office of Dam Safety and Removal the Jenkins family owned much of the forest back in 19th century. In an attempt to find out more information about the dam several calls were made to individuals with the name Jenkins in the area, however, they had no relation to the Jenkins who once owned a majority of the forest. Unfortunately there are thousands of dams in Massachusetts and many updates do not get recorded, which means it is near impossible to find clear information about the current age Collins Pond Dam.