READFIELD — The Kennebec Land Trust and Readfield Historical Society are co-sponsoring a Readfield History Walk set for 10 a.m. to noon Friday, Sept. 13.
The tour will include parts of the Readfield’s Town Farm and Forest; the Huntoon Cemetery – in years past known as the Poor Farm Cemetery; and KLT’s abutting Macdonald Woods.
Howard Lake from the KLT will lead the group through the Macdonald Woods, formerly a 100-acre farm, where the old foundation is still evident as are nearby remains of an ancient mill site and a 1950s logging operation. Lake will also explain ways one can read woods that have evolved from cleared and plowed farmland to forest.
Tim Sniffen of Readfield Conservation Commission will share plans for the next timber harvest and other aspects of their management plans for the Town Forest. RHS historian Dale Potter-Clark will share pictures and some of what she has learned while researching for her book about Readfield’s poor farms and paupers of long ago.
No doubt there will also be some bird call identifications along the way by some avid “birders” who plan to attend.
The two properties are owned by KLT and the town of Readfield, respectively. KLT and RCC members work collaboratively with each other and the Readfield Trails Committee to maintain a total of 210 acres. The KLT property includes more than three miles of hiking trails that feature stone walls, cellar holes, Jones Brook’s seasonal flowage and a small nutrient-rich floodplain that provides diverse habitats for many birds and mammals.
There is no fee or registration necessary for this event. Walkers should meet and park at the North Wayne entrance, on Innes Ridge Road, by 10 a.m.
For more information about this or other history walks, contact Potter-Clark at crossings4u@gmail.com or 207-441-9184. For more information about KLT email info@tklt.org or call 207-377-2848.
PHOTO: Tim Sniffen, left, of the Readfield Conservation Commission, and Howard Lake from the Kennebec Land Trust. The pair will join Readfield historian and author Dale Potter-Clark on Friday, Sept. 13, to lead a Readfield History Walk through parts of the Macdonald Woods and Readfield Town Farm and Forest. (Submitted photo)
