Matthews Bog - North and South Rivers Watershed Association

Owned By: Town of Duxbury

Matthews Bog is a small property in Duxbury that features 0.4 miles of trails around a small cranberry bog, plus pond views. It is connected by to longer trails into the adjacent Lansing Bennett Forest and Ashdod Forest.

Features

Prior to European contact, the Mattakeeset band of the Massachuseuk (or Massachusett) Native American tribe lived for thousands of years in the North River watershed. Their village included most of today’s Pembroke and Hanson. Meanwhile the Patuxet band of the Wampanoag tribe inhabited the Jones River watershed, and the area now known as Kingston, Plymouth and Duxbury. This property lies within the upper portion of the South River watershed — right between those two territories. It’s possible that both tribes utilized the area.

To learn more about local Native American tribes, we encourage you to interact with their members. The Mashpee Wampanoag, the Herring Pond Wampanoag, the Mattakeeset band of the Massachusett, and the Massachusett tribe at Ponkapoag all share information on their websites.

Trail Description

Matthews Bog offers about 0.4 miles of wide, flat trails around cranberry bogs and ponds. In addition, a portion of the Bay Circuit Trail runs through this property and the adjacent Lansing Bennett Forest and Ashdod Forest. It extends from Union Bridge Road, through the Matthews Bog property, and through the woods to Keene Street and beyond, and is marked with white blazes.

Habitats and Wildlife

This is a small cranberry bog and pond, bordered with grassy areas and pine/oak./birch woodlands. Look for mallards and Canada geese. The wetlands on this property are part of the headwaters of Phillips Brook. The brook flows through Peterson’s Sawmill Pond, then northeast into the Camp Wing Conservation Area, and from there into South River.

The South River originates deep in Duxbury. Its source is in the Round Pond area, and from there it winds unobtrusively through the woods for several miles. Although one can view it from Route 3, and also from both the South River Bog and the Camp Wing Conservation Area, it remains a narrow and mostly un-navigable stream until just below Veterans Memorial Park. From there it flows through South River Park, behind the playground of South River School, and under the Willow Street and Francis Keville Bridges. Wider at that point, and navigable at most tides, its course winds through the marshes as it runs parallel to Route 139, all the way to Rexhame. From there the river turns northward. It flows for 3 miles between Humarock and the mainland to Fourth Cliff, where it joins the North River at its outlet to the sea.