John Brockway Nature Preserve

The trail on the marshy John Brockway Nature Preserve is short but compensates with handsome views across the old mill pond and lots of birdlife. The property is jointly managed by New Hampshire Audubon and the Hopkinton Conservation Commission.

Directions:
From Jewett Road, turn onto Farrington Corner Road (by Family Tree Health Care). After 1.5 miles, look for small parking area on your left where there is a Brockway dedication plaque on a granite boulder.

Walking times:
McArnerny Marsh Loop (yellow blazes): 10 minutes.
Verville-Benson Pond Loop (red blazes): 15 minutes

The trail on this marshy parcel is short but compensates with handsome views across the old mill pond and lots of birdlife. The property is jointly managed by New Hampshire Audubon and the Hopkinton Conservation Commission.

This 98-acre town-owned lot is located on the northeast side of Farrington Corner Road, across from the Brockway Road intersection. Although the trail is not long, it compensates with handsome views across the old mill pond and swamps along Boutwell Mill Brook, and the lot contains numerous vernal pools and seeps. A unique feature of the lot is that it was used as water storage system for two water-powered mills. The trail starts by crossing the old fieldstone dam, and one mill foundation is still visible on the southwest side of Farrington Corner Road. Once across the old dam, the trail incorporates old woods roads and has side loops to the various wetland areas.

History

The preserve was acquired by the town in 1993, funded in part by Dorothy Brockway Osborne in memory of her great grandfather, John G. Brockway, whose farm was located nearby. Although Dorothy Osborne was born in New York City and spent most of her life there (for many years as headmistress of the prestigious Spence School), she never forgot her family roots in Hopkinton. When she helped the town acquire the preserve, she gave an endowment to New Hampshire Audubon to run educational programs on the property. The property is jointly managed by New Hampshire Audubon and the Hopkinton Conservation Commission. Dorothy Osborne passed on in 2001 at the age of 103.