Miller Farm and Garfield Road
Year Acquired: 1997-2015
Size: 76.8 acres combined
Miles of Trails: 1.7 miles on Land Trust land
Features: Historic farm fields, old barn foundation.
Overview
These two areas frame one of Concord’s principal agricultural areas, where farming has been a way of life for more than 300 years. On the west side of the valley, Miller Farm consists of wooded upland and farmland along Sudbury Road. The Land Trust continues to lease the open land for agricultural purposes. Across Sudbury Road from Miller Farm, the eastern ridge of the valley is defined by the Land Trust’s Garfield Road properties: Ferguson Land, North Corner, Thornton Woods, and Anderson Woods. Walks here afford views across the farm fields as well as interesting ledge formations and lime-tolerant plants. The protection of Land Trust lands along Garfield Road was achieved through the forethought and generosity of neighbors and Land Trust members.
Trails: Generally easy walk, some slight hills and wet areas.
Entrances/Parking: Sudbury Road: parking for 2-3 cars along Sudbury Road at Willow Guzzle sign Willard School: parking is available in the Willard School parking lot except during school hours. The trailhead here starts in the southeast corner of the Willard playground, past the tennis courts, and continues on school property to a trail on the Miller Farm land. Garfield Road: Park in the parking area in front of Thornton Woods, along Garfield Road, or on Holden Wood Road.
Map Legend
Icons on the map can be clicked to get directions on Google Maps (works best for Parking Icons). Many Land Trust properties have trails that cross onto other land. Please stay on trails and abide by posted signs.
Explore the Land
At Miller Farm, the trails are located in the upland woods, looping from Powder Mill Road and from Willard School, through the open forest floor under mature pines and some oaks, descending to a dirt farm road along the fields. The stand of even-aged white pines on the upland plateau is a distinctive feature of the property; when the farmland was abandoned in the 1940’s, white pines colonized this arid terrain. The lower fields continue to be cultivated by local farmers, including a relative of the donor of Miller Farm; please do not disturb the crops. At the intersection of Powder Mill Road and Sudbury Road, an old stone barn foundation can be found. 1997
The trailhead at Thornton Woods begins on Garfield Road, by a small open area before the trail descends into the woods. Thornton Woods is filled with ledge outcroppings, patches of ferns, and a white oak forest. In the understories, Pennsylvania sedge, a shade-adaptive native plant, comes up in early spring and covers several areas in Thornton and Anderson Woods. Other understory plants include pipsissewa (wintergreen) and partridge berry. Mosses can be spotted at the base of trees along the trail. Observe them after rain, when they produce structures that help them release spores.
The trail continues into Anderson Woods. The trail was laid out by a former Land Trust property manager, Nat Marden, who constructed the trail to provide several views out over the Nine Acre Corner farmland. It passes through pine, hemlock, and hardwood groves, and varied topography with bold rock outcroppings. Ledges poke from the thin soil, giving texture to this land. Wildflowers can be found in early spring, loved by Mrs. Esther Anderson, former owner and well known local photographer.
As the trail continues north, it passes through the Town’s Willow Guzzle and enters private property on which the Land Trust holds a conservation restriction. At this intersection, you can turn east, where the trail leads directly to Garfield Road, or continue north towards the Land Trust’s Ferguson Land. Ferguson Land and the properties along Garfield Road contain a sanctuary of hemlock forest, marshland, and open field that mitigate the busy traffic on Sudbury Road. These lands provide a diverse ecological experience and passive recreation opportunities for the neighborhood and public.
History of Preservation
Ferguson Land was the first parcel acquired in this area, consisting of almost 5 acres purchased in 1997. The Ferguson family donated conservation restrictions on an abutting 6.7 acres. One year later, Anderson Woods was purchased by the Concord Open Land Foundation, an affiliate of the Land Trust, which donated 10 acres to the Land Trust to be permanently protected. The remaining 2.5 acres with an existing house was sold to a Concord family.
The 52-acre Miller Farm was donated by Elizabeth Russell Miller Poutasse and the Poutasse Family in 2001. Mrs. Poutasse had fond memories of the farm of her parents, Douglas and Abele Miller, and wanted to see it continue in agricultural use. Miller Farm was not her first gift to the community; in 1957, she gave a portion of the farm, an asparagus field, to the Town as the site for the Willard School. Thanks to her generosity, Miller Farm will continue to be farmed and protected permanently.
Thornton Woods is a 4.2 acre parcel of land on lower Garfield Road. The land was acquired in the spring of 2008 with strong support from the Thornton family, Land Trust members, and neighbors. Importantly, the acquisition would not have been possible without the hard work and generosity of Dick Thornton, who owned the property with his sisters and who donated his share of the proceeds.
In late April of 2015, Land Trust members generously stepped up to acquire the North Corner parcel. This 5.6-acre parcel abuts the Ferguson Land and is an important piece of the larger landscape. The possible development of North Corner would have greatly diminished the beauty of the trail that runs through the Garfield Road properties. Despite a short fundraising window, the Land Trust was able to purchase this property and preserve North Corner.
