Hyacinth

In certain areas the ground is covered with Wood Hyacinth, an exotic flowering plant native to Europe and the Mediterranean region.

Another lore of history?  

Another one of Richard Sullivan Fay's first imports to this country?

Another bit of Old Paradise...

Thank you to Leslie Courtemanche for sharing this photo.

peace

Open space in 1909

Here is a photo from 1909, looking north of Floating Bridge, taken from a Balloon.  We can compare how much open space has been lost today from this photo.  Hope we do not loose the limited resource of what there is left.

Thank you to Tom Osborne for sharing this photo.

Diaries... Trying to contact the Lowe's Charitable and Educational Foundation

Today we tried to contact the The Lowe's Charitable and Educational Foundation

After trying to call twice, the Lowe's operators could not connect us with the Foundation, and one suggested we speak at the forum at the Salem Public Hearings.   Searching for the contact of the foundation online, we found phone numbers in New York... but when calling, a woman answered and said she never heard of Lowe's, and the foundation is not in the database.  Strange.  So is this some kind of technical glitch on Lowe's website?    

Here is a screen shot of the web page, which cannot be found anymore, after calling.  

Lowe's Charitable and Educational Foundation, if you are listening - I can't get a hold of the foundation to communicate so please telephone me at  1-617-418-3009.   I thought you should know Lowe's proposes to create a negative anthropologic, environmental, historic and educational harm to the community... not in sync with the mission of your foundation.   

• There is no solution for traffic problems proposed by Lowe's and Super Wal-mart.
• There is no solution for the major flooding problems Lowe's development will cause.
• Wetlands that stream to Spring Pond should not be used to drain Lowe's site! What right is it to step on wetlands?
• 400 children will loose a camp and 50 councilors will loose work.  
• History happened here!  Please Lowe's do not destroy this site.

............

The Lowe's Charitable and Educational Foundation MISSION STATEMENT:

The Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation is dedicated to improving the communities we serve through support of public education, community improvement projects and home safety initiatives.

Primary philanthropic focus areas are:

Community improvement projects

Public Education, priority is given to K-12 public schools

(Update- the link to this website is not found anymore either.  Click on image to view...)

peace

Protected Land for Water Supply

In 1909, the Town of Peabody purchased 109.5 acres around Spring Pond in Lynn, Peabody and Salem, for the purpose to protect and preserve the purity of the water. 

Excuse me, but City of Peabody please take off the blind folds and ear plugs today!

How come the areas shaded in blue around Spring Pond are noted to be protected in perpetuity for the purpose of water supply, but there is little concern about the proposed commercial development on an unprotected parcel shown in pink, on the X?  Did we think this nonprofit would keep to it's mission?

We understand the dramatic slopes, where natural water flows down to Spring Pond, make it reasonable to worry how far back the land should be protected to the highest hilltop from commercial development like this,  and that is what the residents from Peabody and others have been trying to say.  

The latest map data was downloaded from Mass GIS, using OLIVER, and imported into the software Vectorworks Designer/ Architect.  Click on map above to view.

Stay tuned for a 3d model showing drainage arrows.

Sunset

peace...

Flowers

The old Fay Estate was once partially in Lynn, Peabody and Salem.  

Richard Sullivan Fay imported several rare plants from all parts of the world, and filled the Estate with exotic trees and flora, turning it into an arboretum to admire. 

A few of the flora around Spring Pond can be found in different parts of the season. Some of these (not all) are artifacts of exotic flora from the paradise of the tropics in the Mediterranean, Asia and other parts of the world.

Flower No. 1  Cephalanthus occidentalis - Buttonbush, Button-willow and Honey-bells.  A native plant worth walking to see, and found near wetlands.

Flower No. 2  

Flower No. 3  Solanum Ducamara - Bitter Sweet Night Shade.  Native to Europe and Asia, as seen in the Mediterranean.  Creates a purple flower first.  Then turns into colorful fruit balls.  (Pardon the windy day in the photo.  Thanks to Leslie for finding the name.).

Flower No. 4 (unidentified) Seems exotic. Blooms in June.

Flower No. 5   Philadelphus - Mock-orange.  Native species to Americas, Asia and southeast Europe.  Smells like orange and Jasmine. (Thanks to Jocelyn for finding the name.)

Flower No. 6   Commelina communis - Asiatic Day Flower.  Native to East and South Asia.  (Thanks to Leslie for finding the name.)

Flower No. 7  (native meadow flower?)

Flower No. 8

Flower No. 9 Pink Lady's Slipper , native species

Flower No. 10  Hatpins, native flower blooms when pond is exposed.  

Flower No. 11  Clethra alnifolia, Pepper bush, Native flower, has a sweet strong smell.  This shrubbery surrounds the pond.

Flower No. 12  Silene Latifolia, White Campion is native to Europe, Asia and Africa.  

Flower No. 13  Wood Hyacinth native to Europe and the Mediterranean region.

( Thank you to Leslie Courtemanche for sharing this photo. )


Flower No. 14 Eutrochium, Joe-Pye Weed is a native flower, herb, wildflower, butterfly plant, ornamental flower bed, and Native American medicine healer.   A camouflaged cricket stands on a leaf.  Thank you to Leslie for finding the name.

Flower No. 15  Jasmine! "gift of God", genus of shrubs and vines in the Olive family, native to tropical climates of the "Old World" of the Mediterranean

Flower No. 16  

Tragopogon dubius, Yellow Goat's Beard, a type of Aster, native to southern and central Europe, and western Asia. Found as far North as northern France. Found blooming in August. Thank you to Leslie for finding the name

Rocks

Stones of 'faith'

      On a walk with Leslie Courtemanche, a conservationist who has been taking note of glacial erratics around Spring Pond, of rock types which are preserved in other townships... we came across to what I query could be potentially archeological to Native American history.  A few of the objects in different locations are on Camp Lion's parcel and a few others are on a public parcel in Lynn.   The findings have been reported to Salem, Lynn and Massachusetts Historical Commission, Salem and Lynn Conservation Commission, and the DEP... and a few Indian Tribes.


After speaking with a Native American of a New England tribe, he believes the images of the elements presented are 'ceremonial'.  Hearing this, I nearly turned to stone, responding- 'You've given me the chills'.   He and others dissolving into laughter rejoined... 'Returning the favor'... after seeing the photos of the find. :)   They will pass along the query to a local tribal expert.


The rocks are found on the old estate by Spring Pond, and so... would this following passage relate from the book 'The Diary of William Bentley D.D: Pastor of the East Church, Salem Massachusetts, Volume 4, dating 1811-1819,   when William Bentley writes- "... we are told of a collection of stones made by a visitant but came away without the sight of them."

These grounds may not of been the dwelling grounds of Native Americans, thus why it is not  recorded in history, which leaves a better reason and wonder if these hills were Sacred Praying grounds... not disclosed to colonial knowledge.  I'll try to keep the story telling up to the experts to tell, but these questions of mine remain- 

• How come the different elements of each object, match the elements found in other Indian praying grounds?... (I'll explain someday.)
• How did early colonists come to drink from the 'healing waters' of Spring Pond?
• A friendly Indian was slain and buried here.  I think I know about where?
• An old Spring Pond resident claims they found two arrows in these woods... ?
• Where did the 'Indian Mortar' sitting by the entry of the Lynn Museum, donated in 1913 (the same time frame the estate was broken up for development)... come from?

There's a 'Trail walk' August 7th to look at one of the elements mentioned above.

Peace- and Hope for an archeological dig soon.   At the very least history deserves to be remembered... if it is given the chance to be proven it was or wasn't. 

National Trust for Historic Preservation and Preservation Massachusetts

      The amount of historical research uncovered for this site has been impressing to historians, and before one could visit the site,  I hoped the site was even more impressing.  A 'Circuit Rider' from the National Trust for Historic Preservation (NTHP) and Preservation Massachusetts could not be more impressed when they visited the site last week :)

     The outlook of others strengthens belief that "This Place (does) Matter".   These wild and dramatic natural landscapes of heritage are windows to the past, reminiscent with throbbing memory.. of history persistent throughout the centuries... shared between 3 townships... fighting a common cause on both sides of the track... between those many who find it momentous and those few who do not care, thereby creating a perfect formula to nominate this site to be enlisted as a Mass Endangered Historic site.


     The research of Spring Pond leads to find that the history here relates to the history of the National Trust for Historic Preservation!!!   Louise E. du Pont Crowninshield, wife of Francis Boardman Crowninshield, is known as one of America's first major historical preservationists and was a founding member of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.  Crowninshield's ancestor is Dr. John Casper Richter Von Crowninshield (Johannes Kaspar Richter Von Kronenscheldt, as first spelled),  who was one of the first families to settle in this country and the first in the country to descend the respectable (Boston Brahmin) Crowninshield Family of Boston... who began his family from a little cottage, settled by Spring Pond c1700.   

Mineral Spring Hotel advertisement

Here is an advertisement from 1831 of the Mineral Springs Hotel describing the delightful retreat and waters by Spring Pond.  

Thanks to a friend, who submitted this.

peace