Wheelwright Park Trails – Cohasset MA

Description

In 1935, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) created Wheelwright Park trails in Cohasset, Massachusetts. The area was already a public park but the WPA greatly improved the accessibility. The trails that were cleared are about 4,000 feet or .7 miles long and traverse an area of 232 acres of land known as Wheelwright Park. The trails were constructed of gravel but have since become covered in leaves and pine needles. The park has trails that have natural rock formations in the midst of them as well as beside them. At parts there are natural rocks carved to be stairs in the trails. Throughout the trails there are picnic sites complete with fireplaces, also constructed by the WPA. The Wheelwright Park trails are one of the few New Deal projects located on the South Shore and offered convenient outdoor recreation opportunities for local residents.

The park also borders 32 acres of land called the Barnes Wildlife Sanctuary that was bought and created in 2003. The sanctuary contains large trees, endangered species, small wildlife, birds, insects, and wetlands. Visitors to Wheelwright Park can walk among the WPA trails, as well as crossing into the Barnes Wildlife Sanctuary to enjoy the outdoors.