Borderland State Park facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Borderland State Park |
|
|---|---|
Ames Mansion
|
|
 Borderland State Park
Location in Massachusetts
|
|
| Location | Easton, Sharon, Bristol, Norfolk, Massachusetts, United States |
| Area | 1,843 acres (7.46 km2) |
| Elevation | 207 ft (63 m) |
| Established | 1971 |
| Operator | Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation |
| Website | Borderland State Park |
|
Borderland Historic District
|
|
| Built | 1910 |
| Architect | Ames, Blanche Ames; Ames, Oakes |
| Architectural style | Late Gothic Revival, Georgian, Colonial Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 97000497 |
| Added to NRHP | June 16, 1997 |
Borderland State Park is a history and nature preserve with public recreational features located in the towns of Easton and Sharon, Massachusetts. The state park encompasses 1,843 acres (746 ha) surrounding the Ames Mansion, which was built in 1910. The area was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as Borderland Historic District in 1997. It is operated by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, with an appointed advisory council that participates in policy decision-making.
History
In 1906, Oakes Ames, a Harvard botanist (son of Massachusetts governor Oliver Ames and grandson of U.S. Representative Oakes Ames), and his wife Blanche Ames Ames (daughter of Mississippi governor Adelbert Ames, but not related to Oakes Ames), an artist and feminist, purchased land on the border of Sharon and Easton. There they built a mansion which still stands and created a nature preserve with woodland paths and roadways and man-made ponds. The family's home, a three-story, 20-room stone mansion constructed in 1910, was built largely at the direction of Blanche Ames. Her paintings still hang on the walls and much of the original furnishings are still intact. After it remained in the family for 65 years, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts acquired the Borderland estate in 1971, two years after the death of Blanche Ames, and opened it as a state park.
Activities and amenities
The park has more than 20 miles (32 km) of wooded trails for hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding. Trails include a portion of the Bay Circuit Trail and the Quarry Loop to Moyles Quarry which supplied the facing stone for the Canton Viaduct in 1835. The park features mansion tours, a visitors center, pond fishing and canoeing, ice skating, sledding, and disc golf. Mansion tours are typically held on Sundays during the months of April through May. The mansion is typically not open to the public other than during these tours, and for special events.
Borderland is the home course for Oliver Ames High School cross country team. Until 2014, it was the site of the Hockomock League Cross Country championship race. It is also utilized by the Old Colony League for its annual cross country meet and various invitational meets on the 3.1-mile-loop (5.0 km) course, and was the site of the World Masters Flying Disc Championships in 1996.
Parking
Borderland charges a $5 day use fee ($20 for out of state visitors) which can be purchased in the main lot. Season passes can also be purchased. Note that the machines no longer take cash as a form of payment.
The primary parking lot is located near 259 Massapoag Ave, in North Easton, MA. Alternate parking can be found by the intersection of Mansfield St. and Massapoag Ave in Sharon, MA, as well as at various locations on Mountain Street in North Easton, MA.
