'Stories from the Trails' Historical Hike Series Returns

This was submitted by the Andover Trails Committee and the Andover Historical Society.

The Andover Trails Committee and the Andover Historical Society are teaming up once again this season to continue the hiking series they created last year in Andover called “Stories from the Trails.” Once again, each hike in this series will feature both the natural beauty and unique geology of the featured property, as well as the colorful stories of Andover's history specifically related to each property.

The series, which is free and open to the public, will commence on Sunday, July 17^th at 1p at the AVIS Skug River Reservation in Andover.  This first hike is approximately 2 miles of relatively level walking and will take about 2 hours. On this first hike, Jane Cairns from the Andover Historical Society will share colorful stories tied to the reservation and surrounding area.

The Skug River Reservation is located on Salem Street in Andover, near the intersection of Wagon Wheel Road.  Parking for some cars is available in the reservation lot, with ample additional parking available around the corner on Wagon Wheel Road.

Here's a sneak preview of what'll you'll see and hear about on the July 17th Skug River Reservation hike: 

   Most of the land that now makes up the Skug River Reservation belonged to several generations of the Jenkins family, who dammed the river to power a profitable sawmill and gristmill. The dam has long since washed away, but the massive stone walls of the millrace can still be seen from the trail. In the middle of the 19th century, William Jenkins quarried and polished stone on the site, and used the mill to cut the locally abundant blue soapstone (a soft, greasy-feeling rock) into tombstones, building faces and other small items.

   Among the quarried and wedged outcrops of stone lies a “glacial erratic” -- an enormous boulder deposited during the last ice age, William Jenkins was also one of Andover’s most ardent Abolitionists.

   On our hike, we'll see the original Jenkins house, which was a station on the Underground Railroad, and a gathering place for William Lloyd Garrison, Frederick Douglass, Harriet Beecher Stowe and the famous Hutchinson Family Singers.

The Stories From the Trails hike series will continue with hikes on August 14th and on September 24^th. For more information, please email David Bunting, Andover Trails Committee at dbunting@andovertrails.org.

About the Andover Trails Committee

The Andover Trails Committee is a citizens committee including members of the Conservation Commission, the Appalachian Mountain Club, Andover Village Improvement Society, the Bay Circuit Alliance, The Trustees of Reservations, and just plain folk who appreciate the outdoor recreational opportunities of Andover. It was reactivated in the spring of 1991 to focus on the establishment of the Bay Circuit Trail in Andover.

The committee continues to support Bay Circuit Alliance projects. It is also working on the Shawsheen River Greenway initiative. The Andover Trails Committee will continue its work to increase the public's access to recreational trails by publicizing trail events, seeking volunteers to work on trails, raising funds for trail improvements, and working with regional groups to create trail networks. Visit www.andovertrails.org for more information.

About The Andover Historical Society

The Andover Historical Society tells the unique stories of Andover through its museum, library, archives, exhibitions and programs.  The Society fosters an appreciation for the importance of local history and preservation to a vibrant community life.

The Amos Blanchard House and Barn Museum in downtown Andover, Massachusetts, recreates the life and times of a typical middle-class family of the early 19th century.  Educational programs and changing exhibits explore many aspects of Andover's fascinating 350-year history. The Andover Historical Society, founded in 1911, maintains the museum and operates a library, archives and research center where objects and documents of local historical significance are collected, preserved, exhibited and interpreted.  For more information, visit http://www.andoverhistorical.org/