Well, folks, John has finally gotten around to revising and adding to his Mill River history. Parts 5A and 5B are now available here and here. We’ll post more shortly. Enjoy the bedtime reading, and please comment, suggest, or make corrections to this ongoing project. Thanks.
Welcome Back to a Busy September
Leeds Walk Reprise! Saturday, November 8
We’re thrilled to announce that the Leeds Mill River Greenway Committee will be reprising their fascinating stroll through this historic mill village on Saturday, November 8 from 10-12. There are very few spots left, so please reserve your place by emailing info@millrivergreenway.org
Heidi Stevens, Jason Johnson, Sue Carbin, and Penny Geis will lead the Leeds walk, telling tales of the great 1874 Flood and other stories.
Williamsburg Reservoir Dam Walk 11/1/14
We’re excited about our upcoming river walk in Williamsburg, which will take us up to the old dam itself.
The walk will take place this Saturday, November 1 from 9:30am to 12:30pm. For our regulars, please note the longer time frame this month to accommodate a packed agenda!
Please park in the Anne T. Dunphy School parking lot and walk to meet up on the front lawn of the Meekins Library, facing Florence Savings Bank. We’ll be joined by local Landscape Artist/Architect Todd Lynch, who’ll introduce his Flotsam Weirs installation at the confluence of the west and east branches of the Mill River.
From there we’ll carpool in as few cars as possible up to Judd Lane, the trail head for the old dam. Our guide for the dam walk will be the esteemed Eric Weber from Williamsburg Historical Society.
Back to the center of town by 12:30pm. As always please let me know if you will NOT be able to make it to make room for other folks off the waiting list.
Directions to Flotsam Weirs in Williamsburg
At summer’s end, we’re looking back on a wonderful series of walks and some great news that we’ll be sharing with you in the next couple of weeks. Meanwhile, what remains? Well, here are directions to Todd Lynch’s fantastic “Flotsam Weirs,” which you might have seen in the Daily Hampshire Gazette. Take time to visit it, especially now that the leaves are falling. (The bird’s nest, by the way, was placed there by an unnamed visitor. You’re welcome to add your flotsam to the weirs. Until soon, your co-moderators Gaby, Neal, and John.
Directions to Todd Lynch’s Flotsam Weirs in Williamsburg
Welcome Back to a Busy September
Welcome back from a cool, wet, lovely summer. We’ve got a busy fall planned for the Mill River, starting with 3 (count ’em — three) walks in September alone. Here’s what’s coming your way:
Saturday, September 6, Riverwalk in Leeds, a wonderful historic village in Northampton, near the Northampton/Williamsburg town line, which dates back to the 18th century. Heidi Stevens and Jason Johnson, founders of the Mill River Greenway Committee of the Leeds Civic Association, will lead us on a tour that will focus on the heyday of Leeds during the first three-quarters of the 19th century, with stops at the Old Nonotuck Woolen Mill and 3 other mill sites, the old post office and train depot, the Dimock mansion, the Hotel Bridge, and the memorial to the 1874 Flood that devastated Leeds. There are very few places left for this walk, so please write us at info@millrivergreenway.org if you’d like too participate or to get on the waiting list. If there is sufficient interest, Heidi and Jason will organize a repeat of this walk later in the fall.
Saturday, September 13th Todd Lynch’s Art Installation, “Flotsam Weirs,” in Williamsburg. See below, posts on Aug. 5 and 6, for details. You do not need to sign up for this walk to participate.
Saturday, September 20th, Florence II Riverwalk — Crimson & Clover Farm to Meadow St. Bridge.
This walk from Crimson & Clover Farm on Spring St. to the Meadow St. Bridge combines historic and ecological information. Laurie Sanders will talk about Mill River ecology as we travel along the river corridor, and Elizabeth Sharpe (In the Shadow of the Dam) will discuss the dramatic results of the 1874 Flood, which ended at what is now the farm and recreational fields in Florence. There are very few places left for this walk, so please please write us at info@millrivergreenway.org if you’d like to participate or to get on the waiting list.
