Around the Pond and Wetlands!
This shot is along the road to Puffer Pond. (Full size photo is 30K.) This road was known as "Old Marlboro Road" in the early 1700s. It was one of the few roads in the area providing travellers with a way to get between Lancaster and Marlboro. At the approximate location of today's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in Maynard, stood Rice Tavern, the area's first meeting hall. Rice Tavern served as a waystation for travelers and was a rest stop for Captain Joshua Berry of Portsmouth, New Hampshire during the Revolutionary War. Today, the road is a quiet path in the Annex with little hint of its former function.
Puffer Pond is one of the greatest treasures within the Annex. (Full size photo is 23K.)The pond is relatively shallow and very acidic with a high peat content that causes the water to appear brown and cloudy often. The Pond has many species that depend upon it for food and shelter. Blandings turtles, a rare species, have been documented in Puffer, making it the location of one of the few verified sightings in Massachusetts. At the north end of the Pond, a Great Blue Heron has a nest, high up in a dead tree. The wetlands associated with Puffer still contain many dead trees that provide a lookout for hawks hunting in the wetlands.
After leaving Puffer Pond, walkers were treated to more spectacular colors. (Full size photo is 20K.) This is once again, the former Old Marlboro Road, now known as Patrol Road by the Army. (Don't they give things romantic names?) This road takes you out of the Annex. Hope you enjoyed the walk.
If you enjoyed these pages, please be sure to drop us a note via our comments page. If you have ideas on how to make this tour more enjoyable, please don't hesitate to let us know! Thanks for visiting with us!
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