This fall two new properties have come into the care of The Trustees. Armstrong-Kelley Park, in Cape Cod, has become The Trustees’ twelfth public garden, and Becket Quarry and Historic Forest, in the Berkshires, joins their many woodland properties.
A recent merger between The Trustees and the Cape Cod Horticultural Society (CCHS), officially brought Armstrong-Kelley Park in Osterville under The Trustees’ umbrella. The 8.5-acre Osterville Village property is Cape Cod’s oldest and largest privately-owned park, featuring an arboretum, central green, garden rooms, a boardwalk, trails, and beloved features such as Liam’s Train and the John Folk Water Garden.
A recent partnership between The Trustees and the Becket Land Trust has brought the Becket Quarry and Historic Forest property into care, ensuring a place for this unique natural and cultural landscape.
This 300-acre property is the former site of the Chester-Hudson Granite Quarry. It was acquired by the Becket Land Trust more than 20 years ago, when the quarry was proposed to be re-activated to provide crushed stone for use in the Big Dig project. Visited by more than 14,000 people in the last year, Becket Quarry’s popularity and stewardship challenges led the Land Trust to seek a partner entity to take over the management of the property.
After more than 100 years of operation, the Chester-Hudson Granite Quarry ceased full operation in the late 1940s, and a variety of vehicles and industrial equipment were abandoned. These artifacts from a bygone age are still there, and slowly being reclaimed by the forest. Planned improvements to Becket Quarry under Trustees stewardship include work on the extensive trail system which laces the interior of the property, signage updates, and upgrades to the main access trail (the former rail bed for the quarry railroad). An unofficial opening will be planned for 2022. For more information on both these properties, visit http://thetrustees.org
