Borderland State Park
Encyclopedia
Borderland is one of Massachusetts'
state park
s, located in the towns of Easton
and Sharon
. The main entrance and visitor center are located in Easton. The area was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
as Borderland Historic District in 1997.
In 1906, Oakes Ames
, a Harvard
botanist (son of Massachusetts governor Oliver Ames and grandson of U.S. Representative Oakes Ames), and his wife Blanche Ames Ames
(daughter of Mississippi governor Adelbert Ames
, but not related to Oakes Ames), an artist and feminist, purchased land on the border of Sharon and Easton. The country estate they named “Borderland” remained in the family for sixty-five years. In 1971, two years after the death of Blanche Ames, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts acquired the estate and opened it as a state park.
Borderland continues to offer the public many of the same pleasures that the Ameses enjoyed, such as walking and horseback riding
on woodland trails, fishing
and canoeing
in the ponds, and, in winter, ice skating
and sledding
. The park also includes a disc golf
course and Moyles Quarry (a.k.a. Canton Viaduct
quarry) which supplied the facing stone for the Canton Viaduct
in 1835. The family’s home, a three-story stone mansion built in 1910, still stands. Its twenty rooms are furnished much as they were when the Ameses lived there; many of Blanche Ames’ paintings grace the walls. During the spring, summer, and fall, the house is open to visitors for regularly scheduled guided tours (as of 2006: April-November, 3rd Sunday of each month at 1 pm, duration approximately 2 hours, cost $3 per person; group tours also available by appointment).
The 1782 acres (7.2 km²) park is operated by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation. An appointed Advisory Council participates in policy decision-making.
In recent years, Borderland has served as the home for Oliver Ames High School
cross country running
, representing the school's home course. It is also utilized by the Old Colony League
for its annual cross country meet. The park also hosts the Hockomock League
Championship meet and various invitational meets on the 2.7 miles (4.3 km)-loop course. In 1996, the World Masters Flying Disc Championships were held at Borderland.
Scenes from the movie Shutter Island
, directed by Martin Scorsese, were shot here at the lodge located next to Leach Pond.
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
state park
State park
State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the federated state level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural beauty, historic interest, or recreational...
s, located in the towns of Easton
Easton, Massachusetts
Easton is a town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 23,112 at the 2010 census.Easton is governed by an elected committee of selectmen and a town administrator.- History :...
and Sharon
Sharon, Massachusetts
Sharon is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 17,612 at the 2010 census. Sharon is part of Greater Boston, about 17 miles southwest of downtown Boston....
. The main entrance and visitor center are located in Easton. The area was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
as Borderland Historic District in 1997.
In 1906, Oakes Ames
Oakes Ames (botanist)
Oakes Ames was an American botanist specializing in orchids. His estate is now the Borderland State Park in Massachusetts....
, a Harvard
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
botanist (son of Massachusetts governor Oliver Ames and grandson of U.S. Representative Oakes Ames), and his wife Blanche Ames Ames
Blanche Ames Ames
Blanche Ames Ames was an artist, inventor, writer, and prominent supporter of women's suffrage and birth control. Born Blanche Ames in Lowell, Massachusetts, she was the daughter of Civil War General and Mississippi Governor Adelbert Ames and Blanche Butler Ames and the sister of Adelbert Ames...
(daughter of Mississippi governor Adelbert Ames
Adelbert Ames
Adelbert Ames was an American sailor, soldier, and politician. He served with distinction as a Union Army general during the American Civil War. As a Radical Republican and a Carpetbagger, he was military governor, Senator and civilian governor in Reconstruction-era Mississippi...
, but not related to Oakes Ames), an artist and feminist, purchased land on the border of Sharon and Easton. The country estate they named “Borderland” remained in the family for sixty-five years. In 1971, two years after the death of Blanche Ames, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts acquired the estate and opened it as a state park.
Borderland continues to offer the public many of the same pleasures that the Ameses enjoyed, such as walking and horseback riding
Equestrianism
Equestrianism more often known as riding, horseback riding or horse riding refers to the skill of riding, driving, or vaulting with horses...
on woodland trails, fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
and canoeing
Canoeing
Canoeing is an outdoor activity that involves a special kind of canoe.Open canoes may be 'poled' , sailed, 'lined and tracked' or even 'gunnel-bobbed'....
in the ponds, and, in winter, ice skating
Ice skating
Ice skating is moving on ice by using ice skates. It can be done for a variety of reasons, including leisure, traveling, and various sports. Ice skating occurs both on specially prepared indoor and outdoor tracks, as well as on naturally occurring bodies of frozen water, such as lakes and...
and sledding
Sledding
Sledding , sledging , sleding or tobogganing is a common activity in wintry areas, similar to sliding, but in a prone or seated position requiring a device or vehicle generically known in the US as a sled or in other countries as a sledge or toboggan...
. The park also includes a disc golf
Disc golf
Disc golf is a disc game in which individual players throw a flying disc into a basket or at a target. According to the Professional Disc Golf Association, "The object of the game is to traverse a course from beginning to end in the fewest number of throws of the disc." Of the more than 3000...
course and Moyles Quarry (a.k.a. Canton Viaduct
Canton Viaduct
Canton Viaduct is the oldest blind arcade cavity wall bridge in the world and it was the longest and tallest railroad bridge ever built when it was completed in 1835. It is the last surviving bridge of its kind and has been in continuous service for years; it now carries high-speed passenger and...
quarry) which supplied the facing stone for the Canton Viaduct
Canton Viaduct
Canton Viaduct is the oldest blind arcade cavity wall bridge in the world and it was the longest and tallest railroad bridge ever built when it was completed in 1835. It is the last surviving bridge of its kind and has been in continuous service for years; it now carries high-speed passenger and...
in 1835. The family’s home, a three-story stone mansion built in 1910, still stands. Its twenty rooms are furnished much as they were when the Ameses lived there; many of Blanche Ames’ paintings grace the walls. During the spring, summer, and fall, the house is open to visitors for regularly scheduled guided tours (as of 2006: April-November, 3rd Sunday of each month at 1 pm, duration approximately 2 hours, cost $3 per person; group tours also available by appointment).
The 1782 acres (7.2 km²) park is operated by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation. An appointed Advisory Council participates in policy decision-making.
In recent years, Borderland has served as the home for Oliver Ames High School
Oliver Ames High School
Oliver Ames High School is a public high school in Easton, Massachusetts. The school currently enrolls approximately 1200 students in grades 9 through 12...
cross country running
Cross country running
Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
, representing the school's home course. It is also utilized by the Old Colony League
Old Colony League
The Old Colony League, or OCL, is a high school sports conference consisting of teams in southeastern Massachusetts. Founded in 1948, the league is a subset of the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association. It has competed for most of its history at the Division I level, the highest level...
for its annual cross country meet. The park also hosts the Hockomock League
Hockomock League
The Hockomock League, colloquially referred to as the Hock, is an interscholastic high school athletic league located in Southeastern Massachusetts. As of 2010 the league consists of ten member schools. All Hockomock League schools are public secondary schools, and are also members of the...
Championship meet and various invitational meets on the 2.7 miles (4.3 km)-loop course. In 1996, the World Masters Flying Disc Championships were held at Borderland.
Scenes from the movie Shutter Island
Shutter Island
Shutter Island is a best-selling novel by Dennis Lehane, published by Harper Collins in April 2003. A film adaptation was released in February 2010. Lehane has said he sought to write a novel that would be an homage to Gothic settings, B movies, and pulp. He described the novel as a hybrid of the...
, directed by Martin Scorsese, were shot here at the lodge located next to Leach Pond.
External links
- Borderland State Park, MA Dept. of Conservation & Recreation
- Friends of Borderland State Park
- Behrens, R.R. (1998). "The Artistic and Scientific Collaboration of Blanche Ames Ames and Adelbert Ames II." Leonardo, 31, 47-54.
- Black-and-white photo of Ames' Mansion
- Color photo
- Ames Mansion - Blanche Ames Ames (1878-1969), inventor, illustrator; Places Where Women Made History
