Petticoat Hill

Petticoat Hill is a 60-acre public park and nature reserve in Williamsburg, Massachusetts owned and managed by the Trustees of Reservations. [http://www.thetrustees.org/pages/352_petticoat_hill.cfm] Trustees of Reservations: Petticoat Hill] [http://home.comcast.net/~wwtc/maps/petticoat.html] Williamsburg Woodland Trails, an official committee of the Town of Williamsburg, Massachusetts]

Hill

The terrain rises to a rocky summit 1,034 ft. above sea level (or, according to the United States Geological Survey, 1,178 feet [359.05 meters] above sea level) [http://www.mountainzone.com/mountains/detail.asp?fid=6928456] Petticoat Hill Summit - Massachusetts Mountain Peak Information] ) and affords a scenic vista that includes the Connecticut River Valley, the Mill River, Mount Tom, Holyoke Mountain, and the Holyoke Range. Petticoat Hill, along with Scott Hill (1,027 feet [313.03 meters] tall [ [http://www.mountainzone.com/mountains/detail.asp?fid=7050056] Scott Hill Summit - Massachusetts Mountain Peak Information] ) and Unquomonk Hill (1,083 feet [330.10 meters] tall [ [http://www.mountainzone.com/mountains/detail.asp?fid=7005956] Unquomonk Hill Summit - Massachusetts Mountain Peak Information] ), is one in a grouping of three hills that rises above South Williamsburg. [http://www.hidden-hills.com/petticoathill/index.html] The Hidden Hills of Western Massachusetts] [http://www.nativetreesociety.org/fieldtrips/mass/petticoat_hill.htm] Native Tree Society]

Name

According to a colorful tale about how the hill got its name, a family with seven daughters build their home near the hill top. Each daughter, so the story says, wore five petticoats -- for a total of thirty-five garments between them -- that would be visible on the hillside hanging on the clothesline and waving in the wind and visible for miles around when they did their laundry on Mondays.

This Pioneer Valley location should not be confused with Petticoat Hill in Stephens County, Oklahoma, Petticoat Hill Farm in Tiffin, Ohio, or other similarly-named locations. [ [http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?fid=19097] Petticoat Hill USGS Duncan South Quad, Oklahoma, Topographic Map] [ [http://www.petticoathillfarm.net/Contact_us.html] Petticoat Hill Farm in Tiffin, Ohio]

History

In the early 19th century, the area around Petticoat Hill was the most populated section of this New England town. The current property of the reservation today, except for a field of boulders, was mostly sheep pasture. The reservation was established as a reservation in 1906 with the gift of land by Mrs. Edward W. Nash in memory of her husband. Additional acreage was given in 1924.

Crumbling stone walls, the structural Foundation (engineering)
foundations of homesteads, and even the half-buried entrances to cellars remain hidden in the forest as evidence of human former inhabitants. Even areas that had been once been cleared for subsistence farming are now covered in woodlands that are a century old. Today the reservation is located within the Springfield, Massachusetts metropolitan area and is easily accessible to visitors.

Attractions

Western Massachusetts wildlife that can be seen here includes black bear, coyote, and deer. For those interested in birdwatching, the reservation is home to avians ranging in size from tiny hummingbirds and songbirds to the native wild turkey.

Flora includes such springtime wildflowers as as red trillium, trout lily, white baneberry, and wild ginger. Among the trees to be seen at petticoat Hill reservation are American basswood, black birch, hornbeam, Northern red oak, pignut hickory, shagbark hickory, red maple, sugar maple, white ash, and white pine. There are trees on the property that are over 100' tall and some that are 10' in diameter or more. A couple acres of woodland -- those growing in the boulder field area that was never cleared for agricultural use -- are considered old growth forest.

Recreational visitors to Petticoat Hill can also utilize picnic areas, 1.5 miles of hiking trails, sixty acres of forested hillside, and areas appropriate for crosscountry skiing and snowshoeing in the winter.

Rules

The park is open year-round and there is no admission, but no visitors are allowed in the park between sunset and sunrise. Seasonal hunting is permitted with a Hunting license. Dogs must be kept on a leash.

Map

* [http://www.hidden-hills.com/petticoathill/map.html MAP] showing Petticoat Hill and other features of the town of Williamsburg, MA

References

External Links

* [http://www.thetrustees.org/pages/352_petticoat_hill.cfm The Trustees of Reservations: Petticoat Hill]