Human History of Wildlands: Willow Brook Farm

By Skip Stuck, Key Volunteer

People gravitate to natural beauty and diversity, whether they’re trained ecologists or not. The popularity of Willow Brook Farm is evidence of this fact. 

As you will see, the history of this beloved Pembroke preserve is rich as well, and not without controversy. Before you read what follows, I want to highlight an issue that I suspect we'll see often in future editions of this series. In researching this piece, I am reminded that history is easy to write when one consults only a few sources. It becomes more difficult when we attempt to enlarge and diversify the pool of observers and accounts. In the case of this piece, you'll quickly find that history as told by the English settlers is very different from that told by the Mattakeeset, especially around the mid- to late 1600s, the time of King Philip’s War.  

There is little consensus among the viewpoints of Natives and settlers. Nor should there be. The war was a bitter thing. Although not well known today, it was a horrible period, with a larger percentage of Americans, both European and Native, killed than at any other time in our nation's history. Worse yet, both sides had been friends who trusted and depended on each other only a generation or two earlier. Each side saw the conflict from its own perspective. Any single retelling of history almost always favors one person’s story to the exclusion or even denigration of another’s. 

This is not to turn you off to history. Rather, it is to remind us that stories are easy to tell, but rarely as straightforward as they seem. I encourage you to examine some of the resources I've listed at the end of this piece. You might find that history has as many versions as it has tellers. 

On that note, please keep in mind that this account is far from comprehensive. A goal of this project is to start a conversation with the Wildlands community about the cultural pasts of our cherished natural spaces. If you or someone you know has information about Willow Brook Farm’s history, we would love to hear from you! Share your insight (and/or photos!) with Communications Coordinator Thomas Patti at tpatti@wildlandstrust.org.  

Willow Brook Farm needs your help! Wildlands Trust is seeking $20,000 in public donations to make major upgrades at this suburban sanctuary. An anonymous donor is doubling every donation under $500 and matching all others, meaning you can double or triple your impact on the land you love. Donate today. 

Native American history 

• The area surrounding Willow Brook Farm and the Herring Brook and North River valleys has been used by Native Americans for thousands of years. The ancestors of the Mattakeeset band of the Massachusett tribe (the People of the First Light) settled in this area to use the bountiful resources it offered. The word "Mattakeesset" means "place of many fish," and the Herring River area was, and still is, home to a large alewife and river herring run each spring. Additionally, plentiful waterfowl and the land's suitability for growing maize, squash, and beans helped the tribe prosper. 

• After the Pilgrims landed in Plymouth, the Massachusett tribe's generosity with resources to the settlers was crucial in the colony's survival. Relationships between the two groups started strong. 

Adah F. Hall House, built circa 1685. Learn more at the Pembroke Historical Society.

First European settlers 

• The land that was to become Willow Brook Farm was purchased in the early 1600s from Massachusett Sachem Wampatuck, known to settlers as Josiah Sagamore, by Major Josiah Winslow of Marshfield in what was known as the "Major's Purchase." 

• Among the earliest recorded English settlers of the Major’s Purchase land was Robert Barker, who settled in the vicinity of Herring Brook in 1650.  

• Relationships between the Native and English populations changed for the worse in the later 1600s, culminating in the King Philip’s War. During the war, the Mattakeeset band, although not involved in the hostilities, was forcibly removed from their lands and sent to Clark's Island in Plymouth Harbor, where it is estimated that half (possibly as many as 500) tribal members died from starvation, disease, and exposure by the war's end in 1676. 

• Purported to be the oldest house in Pembroke, the Adah F. Hall house, built around 1685 by Robert Barker Jr., abuts the Willow Brook property. 

• In the early 1800s, Robert Jr.’s descendent, Benjamin Barker, achieved significant agricultural production on the property and was reputed to be the wealthiest man in Plymouth County at the time of his death.  

• The property remained in the Barker family until 1914, when it was purchased by William Hurley. Hurley established Willow Brook Farm, a dairy farm and showplace for his Guernsey cows. The remains of a large dairy barn are still visible today as a foundation and milking stalls being taken over by brush and trees. Although the farm was taken out of use in the mid-20th century, its fields are still maintained by Wildlands Trust in memory of its agrarian history. 

Pembroke town survey map, 1831. The Willow Brook land is represented by the spot labeled Benj Barker. Click to enlarge.

Wildlands Trust preserve 

• In 1997, Wildlands Trust purchased Willow Brook Farm's 73 acres with funds from an anonymous donor. Shortly thereafter, it acquired Fleetwood Farm (20 acres), Gillette-Sherman (7 acres), Lower Neck (40 acres), Missing Link (24 acres), and in 2008, the Slavin Donation (3 acres) to create today's 167-acre preserve. 

• Wildlands restored the property by adding a visitor parking lot and more than 3 miles of hiking trails, including boardwalks through wetland areas, an elevated viewing platform, and an informational kiosk. Today, it is one of Wildlands’ most used and appreciated preserves. 

Learn More 

To learn more, please visit our preserve webpage at wildlandstrust.org/willow-brook-farm. Better yet, walk the trails and enjoy the preserve’s natural and historical beauty for yourself. 

An important note: History is part fact and parts perspective, personal experience, and even bias. One person's history is another's myth. Bear this in mind as you read these reference materials, especially as they relate to both Native and English histories. 

To learn more about the early Native American history of the Willow Brook Farm area, as well as the Mattakeeset tribe through the present, take time to read "Our Story Not Theirs," an account by the Mattakeeset tribe itself.  

Also: 

• The Pembroke Historical Society: pembrokehistoricalsociety.org 

• The Adah F. Hall House: pembrokehistoricalsociety.org/adah-f-hall-house.html 

• Peter’s Well, which lies just across Barker Street from Willow Brook Farm: pembrokehistoricalsociety.org/peters-well.html  

• History of Pembroke, Massachusetts: History of Pembroke Massachusetts | Access Genealogy 

A special thanks to Hayley Leonard, Wildlands Trust AmeriCorps member, and Rob MacDonald, Wildlands key volunteer, for substantial research contributions to this account. 

Summer Programs Support Youth Service-Learning in Brockton

Green Team 2023 at D.W. Field Park in Brockton. Photo by Jerry Monkman/EcoPhotography.

By Thomas Patti, Communications Coordinator

In 2019, Wildlands Trust formalized our commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) with a statement: 

Wildlands Trust is committed to protecting land and providing access to nature for the people of our region, regardless of income, race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or gender identity. We will approach our work with complete respect for the cultures and perspectives of the communities we serve as we endeavor to connect and inspire all people to care about the natural world and the future of our planet.  

We started this work long before 2019. As our service region has expanded, so too have our efforts to live out our DEI values. In the city of Brockton, Wildlands’ quest to connect more people with the benefits of nature dates back to 2011, when we acquired Brockton Audubon Preserve. One of 26 Gateway Cities in Massachusetts facing “stubborn social and economic challenges,” Brockton is one of the largest Environmental Justice communities in the state based on race, income, and language. After decades of development pressures superseding open space needs, land protection alone can no longer restore environmental justice in Brockton. Additionally, community outreach and education must help rebuild the city's connection with nature. 

Wildlands continues that effort this summer with two paid service-learning programs for Brockton-area high school students, one old and one new. Both programs are intentionally designed to empower all Brockton-area youth to explore and advance their careers in the environmental field. 

“Brockton has long been overlooked and underserved by conservation organizations and agencies,” said Wildlands President Karen Grey. “Giving youth opportunities to learn about conservation, make a local impact, build their résumés, and earn a fair wage for their work is only the beginning of our obligation to Environmental Justice communities across our region.” 

Green Team 2023 at D.W. Field Park in Brockton. Photo by Jerry Monkman/EcoPhotography.

Green Team continues for its third summer in Brockton and eighth summer overall. Over eight five-hour days in July and August, crewmembers will work to improve D.W. Field Park, the largest and most beloved open space in Brockton and Avon. Co-led by Manomet, Green Team is funded by the D.W. Field Park Initiative, Wildlands’ collaborative effort to revitalize the urban park for people and planet. 

New this summer is Climate Crew, an opportunity for Brockton-area teens to build environmental education into the local school curriculum. Over six workdays, Climate Crew members will help plan and construct an outdoor classroom at Hancock Elementary School, enabling younger students to explore nature and learn about climate resiliency. The program, funded by the LSP Association, supports Brockton Kids Lead the Way, a NOAA-funded initiative by Manomet and Wildlands to foster city students’ connection to nature.

“We’re excited to bring Green Team back to D.W. Field Park and kick off Climate Crew,” said Programming Coordinator Max Phelps. “Green Team is a great way for the Brockton community to make immediate improvements to the park during the longer-term D.W. Field Park Initiative. And through Climate Crew, teens will give back to younger generations by creating a designated space for kids to learn outdoors.”

Green Team 2023 helped build the outdoor classroom at the Manthala George, Jr. Global Studies School as part of Brockton Kids Lead the Way.

Program participants receive a stipend of $70 per workday. Crewmembers are encouraged to attend a camp-out at Wildlands' Stewardship Training Center in Plymouth on July 26, with transportation provided. 

To apply, visit wildlandstrust.org/brockton-summer. For questions, contact Programming Coordinator Max Phelps at mphelps@wildlandstrust.org. 

Welcome Pollinators to Your Garden This Spring

A bee rests on a dahlia in the Community Garden at Davis-Douglas Farm.

By Marilynn Atterbury, Key Volunteer

With the first day of spring right around the corner, green thumbs across Southeastern Massachusetts are twiddling with excitement. Gardeners are already dreaming of the flowers and produce that will revitalize their eyes, noses, and tongues after a long, dark winter.

But in early spring, protect the pollinators that sustain your garden and local ecosystem by leaving busyness to the bees. Believe it or not, the best thing you can do for your pollinator garden right now is nothing at all!

Many pollinators, especially bees and butterflies, spend the winter nestled in garden debris. If you rake up those pesky leaves too soon, you will literally be throwing away this year’s pollinators. Wait until the weather warms to a consistent 50 degrees—usually in late March or early April—for your garden clean-up.

Another early-spring tip: bees wake up hungry! So, make sure to plant early-blooming flowers, such as bleeding heart, lungwort, or ajuga. Even a little sugar water will help.

And don’t forget a water source: a shallow dish with flat rocks (for butterfly perching habitat) will do nicely.

Follow these simple tips this spring, and soon your gardens will be alive with pollinators!

Marilynn (center) helps two high school students restore the Community Garden during Summer of Service.

Marilynn is a primary gardener at Davis-Douglas Farm, and the founder of our pollinator garden. She is also a Wildlands board member, Adopt-a-Preserve lead volunteer, event decorator, and more! Say hello the next time you visit our Plymouth headquarters.

Human History of Wildlands: Great Neck Conservation Area

Key Volunteer Skip Stuck guides volunteers through Great Neck Conservation Area during a January 2024 trail work day.

By Skip Stuck, Key Volunteer 

In 2016, as a new Adopt-a-Preserve volunteer, I was introduced to Great Neck Conservation Area by Wildlands’ Director of Field Operations, Erik Boyer. I was immediately struck by the diversity and beauty of the place. But shortly after beginning our walk-through, we got lost, something we continued to do for the rest of the day. Even though Wildlands had owned the property for over 40 years, little had been done to develop a navigable trail system. Sure, there were trails, but a spaghetti hodgepodge of them. Neighbors had created many trails beginning at their property lines and ending God-knows-where. These trails ran up driveways, across private land, and within eyesight of homes and backyards. 

It was quite a jigsaw puzzle. We contacted the New England Forestry Foundation and received permission to link our trails through their property. With Erik’s permission and support from neighbors (thank you, Butch!), we set out to remap the preserve, closing some trails and opening others to create a course that would allow visitors to enjoy all that Great Neck had to offer. Through trial by fire, I learned how to build and maintain eco-conscious trails. Several months and a lot of work later, the puzzle came together, and as access to its beauty opened, Great Neck came alive for me. 

We hope it does for you, too. 

One quick note: because Great Neck Conservation Area comprises several historically independent parcels, distilling the area’s disjointed recent history into a unified narrative proved difficult. Many more stories could be told than you will find here. If you or someone you know has information about Great Neck’s past, we would love to hear from you! Share your insight (and/or photos!) by emailing Communications Coordinator Thomas Patti at tpatti@wildlandstrust.org. 

Native American Era

• Glacial history is carved into the landscape of the Great Neck (AKA Indian Neck) region of Wareham. Drumlins, kettle ponds, glacial rocks, and sandy shoreline all had something to offer to Native Americans, who utilized the area's resources for thousands of years. The many arrowheads, tomahawks, and other artifacts found here attest to its popularity among Native peoples. The conservation area’s inlets, the Crooked River from the north and Mink Cove from the south, were used for shellfishing and fish weirs. The forested hillsides were used for hunting, and lowlands for farming. 

• In the early 1600s, the area was inhabited by the Nepinnae Ketit band, known to the English settlers as the Agawam Indians. 

Colonial Era  

The original sitting room in the 1683 Burgess House. By Bill Whelan for Wareham Week.

• The English began to settle this area in the 1630s. In 1666, the Plymouth Colony bought an 8,000-acre tract of land known as the Agawam Purchase from the Native Americans. In 1682, Plymouth sold the property to seven settlers in the area that would become Wareham. 

• Some of Wareham's earliest English settlements were on Great Neck, including the Burgess House (circa 1680), the oldest house in Wareham. 

1700s  

• English settlers cleared much of the land for agriculture, with the lowlands devoted to vegetables and the rocky glacial uplands converted to pastures for cattle and sheep. Swamps and bogs were logged for the stands of valuable white cedar trees that grew there. Salt hay was an important resource from the surrounding marshes. Iron and charcoal were mined from bogs and woodlands, all to be smelted in the several local mills. 

1800s 

• The Crooked River that flowed through the property was dammed in at least two places, creating a tidal area, a freshwater marsh (Jack's Marsh) that was ultimately converted to a cranberry bog, and a freshwater pond (Swan Pond) to irrigate the bog.  

• In the later 19th century, though cranberries continued to be grown, the early English settlement began to give way to a summer community. In 1880, the Weld and Minot families began to acquire smaller parcels in the area. 

1900s 

• By 1900, the Welds and Minots owned most of the property on Great Neck. Among other things, they developed their own golf course, now known as Little Harbor Golf Course, one of the first in the country.  

• In 1909, the independently owned cranberry bogs were consolidated to become the United Cranberry Company. 

• In 1920, parts of the Weld and Minot land were planted with red pine and Norway spruce in hopes of selling the timber. The red pine eventually died due to a root virus. However, the spruce did well and still grows wild on Great Neck. 

Great Neck Conservation Area 

• In 1969, Grace Minot Peirce and John Wylde donated 53 acres of the property to The Nature Conservancy on the condition that they would only hold it until a local conservation group could assume responsibility. In 1975, the land was deeded to Wildlands Trust. The Saltonstall family donated their ~60-acre property northwest of Mink Cove to the New England Forestry Foundation (NEFF). 

• In 1979, Wildlands also took ownership of the 26-acre Mink Cove-Elkins property. 

• In the 1990s, NEFF approved Wildlands’ plans to build hiking trails through their property, thus completing a 4-mile trail system and linking all the properties. 

Learn more: 

To learn more about Great Neck’s human history, visit our conservation area to find evidence for yourself of its Indigenous, colonial, and agricultural past. Also, explore the resources we consulted for this piece: 

• Visit wildlandstrust.org/events to find a schedule of group hikes and volunteer opportunities at Great Neck and other Wildlands Trust preserves. 

• Read our property description: wildlandstrust.org/great-neck-conservation-area 

• "History of Wareham.” Town of Wareham website. 

• "A Resource Inventory and Management Plan for the Minot-Weld Conservancy and the Mink Cove-Elkins Reservation." Caroline Norden, Wildlands Trust, 1986. 

• “The Welds of Harvard Yard: History Through a Family Lens.” Craig Lambert in Harvard Magazine, 1998. 

Remembering Herb Emilson

Center: Herb Emilson. Left: Herb’s daughter, Karen McArdle. Right: Wildlands President Karen Grey. Photo by Drew Lederman.

By Karen Grey, Wildlands President

When Herb Emilson retired in 1995 as President and Chairman of the Colonial Group, he found a second career: helping others and supporting the organizations that strive to improve people’s lives. On the South Shore of Massachusetts, where Herb and his wife Paulie focused much of their philanthropy, the name Emilson is synonymous with giving.  

However, it was more than simply “giving” that motivated Herb. Having befriended and worked alongside the father of modern business management, Peter Drucker, Herb was driven to help non-profit organizations improve their management and functionality. He had a knack for sniffing out solid organizations that needed a boost, both from his philanthropy and his business acumen. When Herb wrote you a check, he believed in you and your organization. 

Wildlands Trust was honored to be among the cadre of groups the Emilsons supported over the years. Their generosity protected several parcels of conservation land, including Willow Brook Farm, one of Wildlands’ most important ecological treasures. Herb died last month, two days shy of his 95th birthday, but not before being honored in Wildlands’ anniversary book, 50 Remarkable Years, 50 Remarkable People. We will miss him very much.

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Read more about the Emilsons’ impact on regional land conservation in our 50th anniversary blog series, “The Next Remarkable Chapter”: click here. Purchase our anniversary book, 50 Remarkable Years, 50 Remarkable People, at wildlandstrust.org/shop50.