Jacobs Hill is a 173 acres (70 ha) open space preserve in Royalston, Massachusetts

Royalston, Massachusetts

Royalston is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 1,258 at the 2010 census.-History:Royalston is a small town in the North Quabbin area of northwestern-central Massachusetts. It was named after Isaac Royal, a landowner. It is very large in land area—about...

 acquired in 1975 by the land conservation non-profit organization The Trustees of Reservations

The Trustees of Reservations

The Trustees of Reservations is a non-profit land conservation and historic preservation organization dedicated to preserving natural and historical places in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is the oldest regional land trust in the world and has 100,000 dues-paying members...

. The preserve includes scenic vistas, ledges, woodlands, a northern bog

Bog

A bog, quagmire or mire is a wetland that accumulates acidic peat, a deposit of dead plant material—often mosses or, in Arctic climates, lichens....

, and Spirit Falls

Spirit Falls

Spirit Falls is a waterfall located in the Jacobs Hill open space preserve in Royalston, Massachusetts. The preserve is managed by non-profit organization The Trustees of Reservations. The Tully Trail passes by the falls.-References:...

, a 30 feet (9.1 m) waterfall

Waterfall

A waterfall is a place where flowing water rapidly drops in elevation as it flows over a steep region or a cliff.-Formation:Waterfalls are commonly formed when a river is young. At these times the channel is often narrow and deep. When the river courses over resistant bedrock, erosion happens...

. The 22 miles (35.4 km) Tully Trail

Tully Trail

The Tully Trail is a scenic loop trail located in the towns of Royalston, Orange, and Warwick, Massachusetts near the New Hampshire border. The route crosses several ledges with sweeping views of the surrounding rural countryside and passes three waterfalls . Tully Mountain, Jacobs Hill, and Tully...

 passes through the property. Views from the ledges include the Berkshires as well as nearby Long Pond and the Tully River Valley, Tully Mountain

Tully Mountain

Tully Mountain, , is a prominent, steep-sided monadnock located in north central Massachusetts in the town of Orange, approximately five miles south of the New Hampshire border. An exposed south and west facing ledge on the summit provides views of the Millers River valley, Mount Monadnock, Mount...

, and Mount Grace

Mount Grace

Mount Grace, , is a prominent monadnock located in north central Massachusetts in the town of Warwick, approximately two miles south of the New Hampshire border. The mountain is rugged and largely wooded, but a firetower on the summit provides expansive views of the surrounding rural countryside....

.

History

Acreage was purchased by the Trustees of Reservations in 1975 out of anonymous funds; additional parcels were acquired in 1978 and 1994.

Recreation and conservation

The preserve is open to fishing, walking, picnicing, hunting (in season), cross country skiing, and hiking. A trailhead is located off Massachusetts Route 68

Massachusetts Route 68

-Route description:Route 68 begins in the Jefferson section of the town of Holden, at Route 122A. It heads northward into Rutland, passing through the northeastern part of the town, passing the northern end of Route 56...

 0.5 mile (0.80467 km) from Royalston center.

Jacob's Hill is part of a larger contiguous area of protected open space, connected by the Tully Trail and including the United States Army Corps of Engineers

United States Army Corps of Engineers

The United States Army Corps of Engineers is a federal agency and a major Army command made up of some 38,000 civilian and military personnel, making it the world's largest public engineering, design and construction management agency...

' Tully Lake

Tully Lake

Tully Lake, of Royalston, Massachusetts, is a reservoir and flood control project constructed by the United States Army Corps of Engineers in 1949 for 1.6 million dollars. The project prevents flooding of the greater Connecticut River and Millers River valleys and provides a variety of...

 flood control project, The Trustees of Reservations' Royalston Falls

Royalston Falls

Royalston Falls is a waterfall and granite gorge located in Royalston, Massachusetts along an Lawrence Brook, a tributary of the Millers River. The falls are part of a open space preserve acquired in 1951 by the land conservation non-profit organization The Trustees of Reservations...

 and Doane's Falls

Doane's Falls

Doane's Falls is a series of five waterfalls located in Royalston, Massachusetts along an section of Lawrence Brook, a tributary of the Millers River. The falls are part of a open space preserve acquired in 1959 by the land conservation non-profit organization The Trustees of Reservations...

 properties, and Massachusetts

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 forest land. Tully Lake Campground

Tully Lake

Tully Lake, of Royalston, Massachusetts, is a reservoir and flood control project constructed by the United States Army Corps of Engineers in 1949 for 1.6 million dollars. The project prevents flooding of the greater Connecticut River and Millers River valleys and provides a variety of...

, a 35-site walk-in and tent only facility jointly managed by the Army Corps of Engineers and the Trustees of Reservations, is located along the Tully Trail to the south.

External links

• Tully Lake Campground
• Map of the Tully Trail.
• Royalston Falls
• Doane's Falls
• The Trustees of Reservations
• Tully Lake U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
• Tully Lake map