Brook Farm Historic Site - Newton Conservators (original) (raw)
Overview
This National Historic Landmark is a diverse mix of terraces and knolls covered by fields, forest, and a cemetery whose adjacent marsh and wetlands include a small brook on the south and the Charles River on the west. Once farmland, trails now lead through a mix of wetlands, meadows, fields, and woodland.
Size: 179 acres Longest Walk: 2 miles Acquired: 1988
Maps
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Trail Map
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GPS Enabled Trail Map
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Owner & Administrator Websites
Photo Gallery
History
This is the site of the 1840s Brook Farm experimental commune of Transcendentalists including Hawthorne, Dana, Greeley, Ripley, Margaret Fuller, and others. It was used briefly in the 1850s as a poor farm and in 1861 for training at Camp Andrew during the Civil War. A Lutheran orphanage occupied the farm from 1872 through 1943, with a treatment center on site from 1948 through 1974. Gethsemane Cemetery was established in 1873. Land was going to be developed into high-rises, before the state took over in 1988.
Features
Biking, Charles River Walk, Cross Country Skiing, Historic Site, Vernal Pool, Woods Trail
Additional Information
Newton Assessor’s Map ID: [not in Newton]