Weir Hill facts for kids
Weir Hill Reservation (pronounced “wire hill”) is a fun public park in North Andover, Massachusetts. It covers about 194 acres (0.79 square kilometers) of land. A special group called The Trustees of Reservations owns and takes care of this beautiful park.
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A Look Back: Weir Hill's History
Before European settlers arrived, the Weir Hill area was home to the Algonquian people. In 1968, experts found an old campsite at the park's southeast end. This shows that people lived and used this land a long time ago.
How Weir Hill Got Its Name
Native Americans often used to set small fires on the hill. This helped make the land better for deer hunting. They also built special traps called "fishing weirs" in Cochichewick Brook. These weirs helped them catch fish called alewives as they swam to Lake Cochichewick to lay their eggs. That's how Weir Hill got its interesting name!
Early Settlers and Land Use
In the mid-1600s, early European settlers started to clear the trees from Weir Hill. They used the land for their animals, like sheep and cattle, to graze. Later, in the 1700s and 1800s, people built small dams called milldams along Cochichewick Brook. These dams powered mills that cut wood (lumbermills) and ground grain (gristmills).
Fun Things to Do and Nature at Weir Hill
Weir Hill is a great place to explore! It gently rises above Lake Cochichewick and offers many hiking trails. You can walk over the top of the hill, which is actually a double drumlin (a long, oval hill made by glaciers). The trails also follow the edge of the lake, giving you amazing views.
Exploring the Trails
There's even a special rail trail that runs along part of the hill. It's a perfect spot to look out over Lake Cochichewick. Many people from North Andover love to use these trails for cross-country running and mountain biking. When it's warm, some even go swimming in the lake from its shores.
Amazing Plants and Animals
Weir Hill has a mix of different landscapes because of how it's been used over hundreds of years. Farming, wildfires, and cutting plants have created a "patchwork" of ten different plant areas. These include a large 60-acre (0.24 square kilometer) oak and hickory forest, wet areas on hillsides, small streams that sometimes dry up, and wet meadows.
You might even spot some rare plants here! Weir Hill is home to special species like the white bog orchid, violet bush clover, and butternut trees. These plants need protection to survive.
Protecting Weir Hill
Weir Hill has grown a lot since it first became a park in 1968. Over the years, more woodlands and conservation areas have been added. This helps protect even more of the natural beauty and important habitats for plants and animals.
