Finding Hope, But Losing a Mainstay, in Clinton

From Dave Brigham:

Man, that's a bad pun in the title. Is it a pun? Either way, I'm not sure why I ended up with a vague Bill Clinton reference up there. On to the post....

My initial attraction to Clinton, Mass., was the long-abandoned train tunnel. The site is pretty famous among urbex photography people, and graffiti-loving teenagers and those who like to get spooked walking through an 1,100-foot, nearly pitch-black tunnel. The day I was there last fall, I ran into a younger version of myself, a bearded guy with glasses taking pictures of the place after having spied the words "Abandoned train tunnel" on Google Maps or some other online navigational aide.

So let's get those photos out of the way. I'm not trying to minimize how cool this place is, but there's so much more in this former mill town that was incorporated in 1850 (separating from Lancaster) thanks to the efforts of Erastus Brigham Bigelow.

(This was my first view of the tunnel, after crossing a very busy road and scrambling up a short hill.)

(Naturally there is a LOT of graffiti; this work is the most elaborate.)

(The eastern end of the tunnel is much more serene, and has been vandalized very little.)

(I lingered for a few minutes talking with my fellow photographer. Then it was time to head back through, flashlight in hand.)

(Central Massachusetts Railroad trains once came out of the tunnel and continued on a bridge across the Nashua River. This is what's left of the bridge.)

While researching Clinton before my visit, I learned that the town of 13,600 lays claim to the world's oldest continuously used baseball field: Fuller Field. Around since 1878, the field doesn't look historic, but rather just like any other place where America's Pastime is played. There are two sorta cool ticket booths there.

Alas, in 2008, just one year after the Guinness Book of World Records recognized Fuller Field with its superlative, the title was taken away and handed to Labatt Park in London, Ontario, Canada.

(Clinton is the home to one of three North American manufacturing facilities for UK-based cereal maker Weetabix. I love their colors. This part of their facility is just behind the historic Lancaster Mills, which is being developed into condos.)

(Just down the street from the Weetabix entrance is an abandoned store.)

(And a little further down the street I found this old trestle, part of an old rail system that once served the factory and mill.)

(On that same stretch I found this place. I'm fascinated by houses with storefronts tacked on. I rarely see one that's an active retailer or small office. Wonder what used to be here.)

Clinton's got a nice downtown, with lots of stores, restaurants, offices, churches and a really big mill complex.

(I love this simple mural.)

(Such a cool sign. The Old Timer - "A touch of Ireland in New England since 1929." Unfortunately, according to this column in the Boston Globe today, the place is slated to close in two weeks.)

(St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, built in 1900.)

(Smoke stack behind Saint John the Guardian of Our Lady Parish. Incinerator? Crematory?)

(This smokestack looms over the former Bigelow Carpet Mill, a massive complex featuring multiple buildings.)

(Another former Bigelow mill building, which evidently was also used as a distillery.)

Hangar Stake

From Derek Watt:

The Backside Gang is happy to welcome a new contributor: Derek Watt. Derek recently explored Massachusetts' Naval Air Station South Weymouth, which was in operation from 1942 until 1997, when it was decommissioned. All of his shots were taken with 35mm..

(At one point, I believe there were 2 (or more) hangars.)

(This air tower is one of two at the site -- the older one.)

(The basketball hoop is located next to the air tower, presumably for the service personnel to use for recreation?)

In July 2015, a developer announced plans to combine housing, restaurants, businesses, a sports complex and a movie studio (in the hangar) on part of the old base, which spans the towns of Abington, Rockland and Weymouth.

Traffic Stop

From Mick Melvin:

I was traveling to see my cousin in Meriden, CT, recently and made a wrong turn while heading to her house. I made an awesome discovery because of my lack of direction. The funny thing is, I came across an old traffic light on my journey. In downtown Meriden, there is a Traffic Control Tower dating back to 1925.

The tower was patrolled by police officers who controlled the traffic from on high. I have never seen anything like it in my 50 years. The tower was quite innovative at the time, but it was removed after several years of contention.

The new rotary traffic system, which moved traffic along at a quicker pace, replaced the tower in 1967. The tower was moved to Giuffrida Park for many years and fell into disrepair. It was refurbished and moved to its current location in 1993. It now sits on the south side of the intersection of Colony St. and Hanover St.

For a related story with more facts and old pics of the tower with police officers in photo, click this link.

Suburbex Adventure

From Dave Brigham:

As regular readers of the blog know, I don't do urbex. I'll scramble through tunnels, walk along abandoned train tracks and wander around the edges of derelict buildings, but I don't go inside. This is largely to do with the bad optics of a 50-year-old father of two kids under age 14 getting busted for trespassing. When I was a kid I loved exploring houses under construction in my neighborhood, and, on one occasion, a house that had been abandoned with everything still inside (see September 20, 2011, "In Search of President Little").

I won't lie and say I've never trespassed in service of taking photos for this blog. But until recently, I'd never been called on it.

The 1,667-acre Oxbow National Wildlife Refuge is spread across the towns of Ayer, Shirley, Lancaster and Harvard, Massachusetts, and was once part of Fort Devens. In an earlier drive through the beautiful part of Harvard known as Still River, I'd heard gunfire off in the distance, which I assumed was coming from the section of Fort Devens that wasn't deactivated.

And yes, as I approached this bridge I could hear live rounds being fired, but there were no signs on the bridge indicating "No Trespassers Allowed!"

So after snapping a few photos, I strolled across, walked between the two sections of chain link fence where a lock had been broken off at some point, and began ambling down a paved road between the trees. I could hear gunfire off to my left, but again, saw no signs. Up the road, through the trees, I spied some buildings, and got excited at the prospect of taking pictures of an abandoned military installation. The closer I got, however, the more I heard the rounds rattling off, and the easier it was for me to see that these were newer buildings, not old ones.

About five seconds after I turned around to head back the way I'd come in, I was met by the dude in the pickup truck who I speak of above. He wasn't mad, and understood that the base wasn't doing a very good job of warning people away. "Yeah, somebody broke the lock off a while ago," he said. "Not sure why they haven't fixed it."

I don't know if he was military, or just a contractor, but he was nice enough to let me wander back to the refuge. Once safely back in the right place, I was frankly a bit bored. While the Tank Road and Turnpike Path are very pleasant to walk along, there are no opportunities for backside pictures.

Gravity Can Lift You Up

From Dave Brigham:

I decelerated so quickly when I saw this building, I'm surprised I didn't get rear-ended. If I'd been in a more populated area, I would have. But since I was in rural Stow, Mass., home to numerous apple orchards and other farms, I was never in danger.

"Gravity Rock," the sign over the door says. Perhaps, like Hanging Rock of literary and film renown, Gravity Rock has some deep, dark story attached to it, I thought. Maybe this little area of Stow is rife with haunting tales of murder and depravity. But why would a church be named after such a place?

I snapped another picture, and told myself that I would look up this place as soon as I got home.

Upon my arrival home, my elation turned to disappointment and then confusion.

Gravity Rock, as it turns out, has no sordid past and doesn't refer to a place in Stow, Rather, it's a company, albeit one that seems a little shady.

There's a listing on LinkedIn for "Gravity Rock Gym" at this address, 4 Marlboro Road, Stow, Mass. Oddly, however, the business type is listed as "Computer Software." I'm guessing somebody living at this address, or a former resident, is trying to figure out his or her life and how to make money.

This building, which was erected in 1898 as the Gleasondale Methodist-Episcopal Church, doesn't seem to know what it is anymore, either.

A Google search brought up a real estate listing indicating it is a single-family home with three bedrooms, two full baths and 5,666 square feet. Also, I found a listing at Pluralism.org that says the building is the Sri Akshar Puroshottam Swaminarayan Hindu Temple, opened in 1990. Another web site says it was opened in 2000.

There's little evidence of anyone living or worshipping there, at least not mid-morning during the week. As always, I'll keep an eye on the place.

Bring Out Your Dead

From Dave Brigham:

Before visiting the Harvard (Mass.) Center Cemetery, I'd never heard of a hearse house. That's one right up there, built in 1846 to shelter the horse-drawn carriage that hauled coffins to the graveyard.

Right next to the hearse house stands the public vault, which was erected in 1884 as a temporary resting place for residents "when circumstances would not permit immediate burial," according to a sign on the building.

There are so many great headstones and ornamental pieces in this cemetery, but you know me, I always look for the elements that are bent, broken or bowed.

There's plenty of straight-up beauty here, too.

As for the title of this post, it comes from the scene below in "Monty Python and the Holy Grail," one of my favorite movies of all time.

Scenes From An Old Shoe Town

From Dave Brigham:

Here are some scenes from Hudson, Mass., a one-time shoe factory town incorporated in 1866.

(Sign on the back of Chubby's Liquors.)

(International Order of Oddfellows Hall.)

(Old railroad right of way, former Boston & Maine line.)

(I believe this building is part of Larkin Custom Millwork, which was formed in 2013 subsequent to the closure of Larkin Lumber after 130 years.)

(Former train bridge, now part of the Assabet River Rail Trail.)

(Awesome old Lincoln.)

(Not sure what this building is, but it's very cool.)

(Back of the very cool building.)

(Detail of the former Hudson Mill building.)

(Old rail and stack at former Hudson Mill building.)

Walking Dead Tracks

From Dave Brigham:

In late August, my son began attending a new private school in Sudbury, Mass. For the first several weeks of the school year, I spent a lot of time at his new school, hanging out to make him feel comfortable while he adjusted to new kids, teachers and classes.

He needed to learn to trust his teachers and to become more independent, so I set out on short adventures in the first few weeks, always letting him know I'd be back before too long. My first foray was down a path indicating that it led to "White Pond." On my way to this small body of water, however, I got distracted by a familiar sight through the trees.

I find it hard to imagine just how many trains barreled through New England a hundred years ago. You can't throw a rock around here without hearing the "clang" of old rails. Seriously, if you want to see how often we write about abandoned rail beds, rail trails and other train-related sites on this blog, just type "railroad" or "train tracks" into the search box in the upper left corner. Go ahead; I'll wait for you.

These particular tracks were laid in the 1870's as part of the Framingham and Lowell Railroad, according to the Preserve White Pond web site. They were later part of the New York, New Haven and Hartford line.

They were "constructed close to the western edge of White Pond," according to the web site. "Trains continued to run until the 1970's. The old railroad bed is scheduled to be transformed into the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail in the next few years."

I've written about the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail before, in relation to another segment of these tracks located in nearby Concord (see December 11, 2012, "Concord, Part III: New Haven Rail bed."

One of the teachers at my son's school told me that you can follow the tracks to Concord center, a distance of about three or four miles. I may do that someday. I felt like I was in "The Walking Dead" as I trekked along here. Eerily quiet, a sense of peace but also sensations of impending doom.

Your Standard Empty Plant

From Dave Brigham:

I've written a lot about Waltham, the former mill city in eastern Massachusetts, because there's a lot to cover. The city is known for a) the Boston Manufacturing Company, the "first modern factory in the United States," according to the Waltham Museum's web site; b) the Waltham Watch Company, which made the "first watches with interchangeable parts and the first 100% American-made watch," according to the museum; and c) the Waltham Manufacturing Company and other companies that, during the early part of the 20th century, produced bicycles, automobiles and auto parts.

None of those companies exist any more, but thankfully most of their giant old buildings have been renovated and turned into condos, museum space, office space, restaurants and other businesses. Others sites still sit abandoned long after the last worker pushed a broom across the floor (see February 27, 2011, "UPDATE: What a Dump"), or have been torn down and partially redeveloped, with some outstanding environmental issues February 7, 2015, "The Price of Gas").

Six and a half years ago the Standard-Thomson factory went quiet. A manufacturer of automotive thermostats, the company moved its operations to other plants in the U.S. and Mexico. After scaling back operations for some time, Standard-Thomson had only 86 employees left in its last days. Some of them transferred to other company facilities, according to this news article.

I'll say this for the property: it looks pretty damn good for a place that's been vacant for several years. The grounds and exterior are well maintained, and I assume the same is true for the interior. Surrounded by homes on two sides and parking lots on two sides, the Standard-Thomson property is in a well-traveled area. Abutting businesses include a gym, an engineering firm and a natural gas company.

There is a shopping complex nearby with a grocery store, Ocean State Job Lot and other small stores. Additionally, there are several restaurants, a high-end produce/prepared foods market and many new apartment buildings within a mile radius.

So it's a good location for something. But what?

With 8.2 acres and 154,000 square feet of manufacturing space, the site is large, with plenty of parking. Other similar buildings in the area have been converted to storage space, office and R&D space, or torn down and replaced with big-box retailers and auto service companies.

Someday, something will happen here.

This Town Ain't Big Enough....

From Dave Brigham:

When I first drove past this sign, I thought it indicated an abandoned retail complex in Maynard, Mass. Doubling back later, I realized this site was something different.

The Shoppes at Maynard Crossing have been in the planning stages for at least two years, on the site of a former Digital Equipment Corp. complex. City residents and officials have gone back and forth with the developers to arrive at a plan that satisfies both sides, never an easy task. Maynardites want to make sure that a retail complex outside of town doesn't hurt the prospect of a revitalized downtown.

I've spent some time in downtown Maynard, and it ain't pretty. There are a lot of vacant storefronts. There is great potential there -- the area is clean and many buildings face onto main streets and avenues -- but the problem is the lack of customers. For years, Digital Equipment Corp. (DEC) occupied the giant mill that dominates the downtown. Subsequent to DEC's absorption into Compaq Computer, Monster.com took over a significant portion of the building. But the job search company, too, left the area. Now the mammoth parking lots surrounding the mill are largely empty on weekdays.

If the mill's new owners can attract businesses, that will help prop up downtown businesses, and lead to the opening of new restaurants, shops and services. It's hard, though, to see a way in which the small city can also support numerous other retailers just a short drive/long walk out of town, at Maynard Crossing. Stay tuned....