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PARKS Hubbard Park - History
The history of Hubbard Park begins in 1899 when John Erastus Hubbard bequeathed 125 acres in order to "preserve wilderness" for future generations. The dedication of the will was on August 18th. John Hubbard's family orginally came to Montpelier in 1799 and settled near what is called The Meadow -- in the vicinity of Elm and Pearl Streets. John's father, Erastus, became one of the largest holders of real estate in Montpelier. One of the enterprises of the Hubbards was that of providing water for residents. The meadow as well as several other neighborhoods were said to have recieved water from springs that located now within Hubbard Park. As late as 1935, 70 families got there water from Hubbard park. The Hubbard family's wealth and generosity are well known. Historian Perry H. Merrill writes, "Erastus Hubbard, Johns father, contributed generously towards the building of the Pavilion Hotel, and signed a $100,000 bond for rebuilding the State House after the 1857 fire. As John was the only son, most of the family property fell to him. He never married, and when he died, the city became the recipient of a large tract of land which John Hubbard wanted used as a park." Soon after receiving the land from John Hubbard's estate, responding to the request in Hubbard's will, the city helped establish an elected Park Commission to plan for its future, oversee its use, and to honor Hubbard's wishes. One of its first orders of business was to hire landscape architect Dana F. Dow to make recommendations. Mr. Dow suggested an informal use of the land and mapped out roads and plantings. Roads were to follow the natural surface as much as possible. At one point he suggesteded to "adjust the grade to give horses a breather". In a report submitted in April 1908 Mr. Dow presented his ideas for the park including the building of an observatory on a summit. The highest point was Capitol Hill land owned by Jesse S. Viles (a former owner of the Pavilion Hotel)--just outside the Park holdings. The idea for the observatory was well received and must have won over Mr. Viles, for in 1911 Mr. Viles deeded this parcel along with "a strip of land three rods wide" for an approach to the park (the Hubbard Park Drive entrance today). It would be 1915 before actual work on the observation tower was to begin, thanks to a donation of $500 from Mrs. M. J. Dunwoodie. This was enough to pay for the foundation and get the project -- literally -- off the ground. Harry Cutler, the 30-year secretary and treasurer of the Park Commission, designed and supervised the building of the tower. The stone and cement tower was built over a period of 16 years by contractor John Miglierini for a total cost of nearly $8,000. The stones came from old stone wall fences that used to mark off the hillside in the days when Capitol Hill was open pasture. In your walks through the woods today you can still come across lengths of old stone fences. In 1930 the Park Commissioners could at last report to the city: "The Observation Tower has been completed to a height of 54 ft., including an irregular parapet [low wall on a platform or roof] with stone, iron and cement floor and an iron stairway to the deck floor." A rumor has been spread around town that the builder of the tower fell and died, or broke his back, neither is true. He finished his work, the tower was designed to have the "ruined castle" look. A visitor to the observatory once wrote that "seven tiers of mountain ranges may be seen on a clear day." Today the view of the downtown is obstructed by a stand of pine trees that were planted in 1920 on the slope below the tower. This evergreen forest is the backdrop we see behind the State Capitol Building. While the forest has grown up a lot, in 1990 the trees in the immediate area of the tower were cleared and some perennial flowers planted. One can still look 360 degrees and view Camel's Hump, the Worcester Range as well as other surrounding mountain ranges, and also view some of the beautiful forest of Hubbard Park. In brief, improvements to the park over the years include the following: in the 1930's buildings, roads and fireplaces were improved and constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps under the direction of Perry H. Merrill. In the late 1960's a youth group constructed a nature trail was under the direction of Norman Hudson, the County Forester. A grant from the Bureau of Outdoor Recreation in 1976 bought the Park a new picnic area and shelter, parking pull offs, Portal Field (softball diamond and soccer field), and several picnic tables and grills. The fitness trail was constructed in 1985. In 1990 the 50 year-old iron stairway was replaced along with general refurbishing of the tower to maintain its safety and integrity. The addition of 50 acres was made to the park only recently when developer William Heney, putting in residential housing nearby, happened onto a deer yard. The Act 250 permit required a buffer be set aside to maintain the deer habitat. Mr. Heney very kindly donated 50 acres, part of which included the deer yard, to become part of Hubbard Park. Vegetative Management While stands of Red Pine, White Pine and Norway Spruce were planted, the remaining vegetation seen in the park is the intended result of natural succession. The result is second-growth forest with a mixture of hardwoods and softwoods. The park also shows habitat diversity with its varying topography and variety of vegetation. It contains several marshy areas as well as elevated, rocky cliffs. It is the goal of the Commission to leave a significant area of the park in its natural or wild state. The Park Commission utilizes limited intervention, and only in open areas and a few areas designated as high use. These include the tower area, picnic areas, open areas and roadsides. Here the goal is to enable trees to be healthy and continue to grow at their maximum ability. To this end, occasional logging to thin trees occurs. When logging is employed, it is done in a way to allow these areas to "recover" as soon as possible -- stumps are cut as low to the ground as possible, brush chipped or piled for wildlife out of view, and cutting is done in winter to minimize the impact to other vegetation and to the ground. During the summer of 1994 an ecological inventory of Hubbard Park was conducted by botanist Elizabeth H. Thompson with three questions in mind:
Of park interpretation Ms. Thompson writes: " Hubbard Park, with its diversity of topography, hydrology, land use history and vegetation, is an ideal place for nature interpretation, and this resource has been well used." Liz Thompson was hired to conduct an inventory of the parks vegetation as part of a park commission effort to manage the park responsibly and with respect for significant natural features. Contact Us Geoff Beyer, Parks Director 39 Main Street, City Hall Montpelier, VT 05602 Tel: (802) 223-7335 E-mail: gbeyer@montpelier-vt.org Updated March 27 2006 |
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