Final 'Stories from The Trails' Hike Coming Up

By David Bunting.

The Andover Trails Committee and the Andover Historical Society have announced their 3rd and final hike of the season  - the finale of their 3-part hike series this summer called “Stories from the Trails.” This hike series has featured both the natural beauty and unique geology of various Andover properties, as well as the colorful stories of the history related to each property and the surrounding area.  

This third hike, which is free and open to the public, is this Sunday, September 8th at 1p, starting at the Skug River Reservation in Andover. Jane Cairns from the Andover Historical Society and Alan French will share colorful stories tied to the reservation and surrounding area.  This hike consists of relatively easy walking and will take about 2.5 hours.  Ample parking is available in the Skug River Reservation lot on Salem Street, and on Wagon Wheel Road, right around the corner.

Here's a sneak preview of what you'll see and hear about on the September 8th hike: 

The woodlands and wetlands of the conservation properties along Al's Loop are now peaceful retreats, but in Andover's earliest years this area was heavily populated and bustling with productivity. Salem Street was a busy thoroughfare along which farmers delivered produce via ox-carts to markets in the county seat. The Skug River, now little more than a trickling stream, was harnessed by dozens of farmer/entrepreneurs to saw lumber, grind corn and process cloth. Vestiges of the land's former uses, including crumbling stone walls, the remains of a millrace and outcrops of quarried soapstone can still be seen. Equally fascinating are the twentieth-century stories, and Al's own recollections, of how these properties were acquired for their present recreational use and how (and for whom!) they were named. 

For more information on this hike, or to learn about other events and volunteer opportunities, please visit www.andovertrails.org or email David Bunting, Andover Trails Committee at dbunting@andovertrails.org.