Posts Tagged ‘Maudslay State Park’
Moulton Castle – Newburyport, Maudslay Park
Growing up working on one of the oldest farms in America (run by the same family since the 1680s), my interest in local history was definitely the cause of some long-winded conversations with some of the old-timers. The farm was located adjacent to Maudslay State in park in Newburyport. In fact, the park itself used to be part of the farm before it was sold off to the Moseley family (Originally spelled Maudesleigh) around the turn of the century (1900s).
One bit of local history that always really interested me was the “Moulton Castle” that used to sit on what is now called “Castle Hill” in Maudslay State Park. To sum up, Henry Moulton was this civil war soldier. After the war, he came back and built a very real castle in Newburyport. I’ve know about it since I was a teenager, but every time I tell someone about it I always get the same response; “Yeah, right. A castle in Newburyport…”
Coyote in Maudslay State Park, Newburyport Ma
Twice this week I have been walking in Maudslay after work, and twice I’ve seen Coyote while on the trail. The first time was at a bit of a distance, but tonight I came head-to-head with two animals not 50 feet away. I was walking down a trail deep in the park that runs along the farm, near Castle Hill. I glanced down a side trail as I past and there they were – two Coyote were standing in the path, motionless and watching me.
I stopped, and slowly pulled my camera phone out of my pocket. After fumbling a bit I was able to get one shot, but the animals were running away. I know, it’s not a great shot. I’m going back tomorrow with a better camera. I’ve seen them twice and want to get a few decent shots, the camera phone just isn’t cutting it…
Maudslay State Park, Newburyport Ma – Pictures from a morning hike
I lived in Newburyport for twenty years, and spent a good portion of my teenage years working on a farm in the north-end of town (Arrowhead). Having access to the farm was great because it abutted the 400′ish acre Maudslay State Park on like three sides, far at the back-end of the park – away from the main entrance and most of the foot traffic. This allowed my buddies and me to ride our bikes around the park almost every day, getting more and more familiar with the trail system from the inside out. In fact, I even used to drive hay rides in the park during the late 80′s and early 90′s.
I have a lot of history in the park, and a lot knowledge about the park itself. People have actually joked with me about giving tours around the park because I spit things out like “Hey, that’s the fairy garden,” or “If you look down here you will see the old well,” or “The Castle sat right on the hill here, you can see the steps over there,” and a bout hundred other interesting facts about the park. Well, at least interesting to me …