Charles Ed White Recreational Area - North and South Rivers Watershed Association

66 Green St, Norwell, MA 02061, USA

https://www.townofnorwell.net/conservation-commission

Owned By: Town of Norwell

Directions

Small (7 acre) conservation property on Green Street with a trail through the woods. Connects to link to Centennial Park / Pine Street Fields.

Features

The property was donated to the Town of Norwell in 1999. Look for old stone walls, an indication of past agricultural use.

This land is within the region of the Massachusett (or Massachuseuk) Native American tribe. For thousands of years, the land that today is known as Norwell was inhabited by indigenous people who grew crops, foraged, hunted, and fished in the Assinippi and North River areas. Circa 1617, a major outbreak of disease decimated an estimated 90% of the native population in New England, including the Massachusett and Wampanoag tribes that inhabited the South Shore. There are still descendants of these original inhabitants living here today. They are known as the Mattakeesett Tribe of the Massachusett Indian Nation , the Massachusett Tribe at Ponkapoag, and the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe.

Trail Description

Look for the property sign at approx. 66 Green Street. It begins as a broad, grassy path and leads into the woods, where it continues for about t0.3 miles to Centennial Park and the Pine Street Fields.

Another way to access the trail is from the park. Walk along the right edge of the field for about 0.1 mile, and then look for a trail that turns downhill to the right. This is the trailhead.

The trail is rocky in places, and impeded in several places by fallen trees, but it’s possible to get around them.

Habitats and Wildlife

Within this woodland, you’ll see holly, birch, beech, oak, and pine. There are old stone walls and mossy areas, and a few small areas of wetlands. It is part of the North River watershed.

The North River, approximately 10 miles in length, begins at the confluence of the Indian Head River (Hanover) and Herring Brook (Pembroke). From there it flows through the towns of Hanover, Pembroke, Marshfield, Norwell, and Scituate. It empties into the Atlantic Ocean between Third and Fourth Cliffs, draining approximately 59,000 acres along the way.