Sampson Park & Faunce Memorial Forest - North and South Rivers Watershed Association

67 Elm St, Kingston, MA 02364, USA

https://sites.google.com/view/kingstonconservation/sampson-park

Owned By: Town of Kingston

Located in Kingston, Sampson Park and the Faunce Memorial Forest offer 175 acres with more than a mile of woodland trails. Other features include vernal pools and a view of the Jones River, where a dam once stood. Look for old stone walls and glacial erratic boulders in the woods. The Bay Circuit Trail runs through this property and offers close-up views of Furnace Brook.

Hunting is allowed in season by licensed persons in compliance with Massachusetts law. Please be sure to understand Kingston’s hunting guidelines before proceeding. Non-hunters, be mindful of hunting seasons, and wear bright orange if you’re entering the property during those times.

Features

The Patuxet, members of the Wampanoag tribe, made their home in the area now known as Duxbury, Kingston and Plymouth. Numerous artifacts have been found throughout the region surrounding the Jones River. To learn more about local Native American tribes, we encourage you to interact with their members. The Mashpee Wampanoag and the Herring Pond Wampanoag share information on their websites.

History: 52 acres of this property became public in 1950, as the Faunce Memorial Forest. They were given to the town by Eliza Faunce and the Lot Phillips Company, in memory of Walter H. Faunce. An additional 100 acres were purchased by the town in 1963, when the Elizabeth B. Sampson Memorial Park was originally established. At the time, the property was known as Sampson Common and Memorial Forest. Additional acreage was acquired later. The property also includes some Water Department wellhead protection areas.

Elizabeth Sampson was born in Kingston in 1868. Her family was well-established in the area, and could trace its ancestors back to such local historic figures as Gov. William Bradford, Captain Myles Standish, and William Brewster. Sampson left significant bequests to Kington-based organizations and projects, and she is remembered not only with this park, but with the Elizabeth B. Sampson Fund, which provides funding for community improvement projects.

Dams existed at this site for centuries. Originally they were seasonal, removed at times to permit migratory fish to swim upstream. In the 1920s, a concrete dam was installed, both to provide a water supply for the town, and to power milling operations (such as a tack factory, a sawmill, and a clothing mill) across the street at what is now the Jones River Trading Company. The mill was shut down in the 1960s by the Environmental Protection Agency, due to the pollution it caused (releasing fabric dye into the river).

The Elm Street dam may have helped industry to thrive, but it also harmed the river system, not only preventing fish passage, but also causing impairments such as low oxygen, high nutrients, and excessive vegetation. Since its removal in 2019, fish populations are slowly becoming restored and other wildlife now benefits from the increased food supply. Water quality is likely to improve as well. From the park, you can view the floodplain regeneration in progress.

Trail Description

A trail extends from the parking area, runs along the edge of the marsh, and continues for 1.4 miles through the woods. There are several intersections, with spurs through both upland and wetland, to various points on the perimeter.

The main trail, marked with white blazes, is a section of the Bay Circuit Trail. It makes two very sharp turns, but it marked with signs and arrows. This trail eventually passes through an old stone wall and crosses Furnace Brook, a tributary to the Jones River. It extends all the way to the Kingston Water Department off South Street. Toward the end of the trail there is an abandoned trout hatchery.

Habitats and Wildlife

The dam at Elm Street was removed in 2019, thus the riverbed and surrounding wetlands are very much in transition. Some older maps indicate the presence of Jones River Reservoir here, or Sampson Pond, but now that the dam is gone, the river flows freely. Removal of the dam restored habitat for species such as alewife and blueback herring, as well as rainbow smelt. Mass Wildlife stocks the river with rainbow trout upstream at Soules Pond.

There are 3 certified vernal pools on the property, and numerous wetlands. The forest is primarily pine, with some maple, birch, oak and beech. Far down the main trail, just before it crosses Furnace Brook, there is a large grove of holly. Also of interest, there are at least 2 small outcroppings of quartz along the main trail.

The Jones River flows through this property. It finds its source at Silver Lake and other brooks and springs in Pembroke, Halifax and Kingston. It flows for 7.5 miles through Kingston, and drains into the Atlantic Ocean at Kingston Bay. Follow the Jones River Watershed Association for more information about the Jones River.