History of Coonamessett Pond

Highlights of Coonamessett Pond

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1.     Crane Wildlife area http://www.300committee.org/cranewildlife.htm

2.     Coonamessett Ranch Conservation Land
http://swallowsnest.com/crane_wildlife.htm#Coonamessett

3.     Head of the Coonamesett River and Public beach
http://www.mass.gov/eea/docs/dep/water/resources/maps/mor/falmouth-mor-2.pdf

4.     Cape Cod Country Club
http://www.capecodcountryclub.com

5.     Round Pond 
http://www.mass.gov/eea/docs/dfg/dfw/habitat/maps-ponds/dfwcoon.pdf

6.     Town of Falmouth Ball fields


7.     Dupee Parcel Conservation land

http://300committee.org/doc/coonamessett.pdf

8.     Souza parcel Conservation land 
http://300committee.org/matthewsouza.htm

9.     State Public landing
http://www.mass.gov/eea/docs/dfg/dfw/habitat/maps-ponds/dfwcoon.pdf

10.  Coonamessett Farm
http://www.coonamessettfarm.com

11.   Alchemy Farms
http://www.ic.org/directory/alchemy-farm/

Association Stewardship Committee Chair Jim Hain, with the educational/historical sign at the site of the old Atammansit Farm, in the woods at the Dupee Parcel.

Visiting History
 Hidden in the woods in the Dupee Conservation Parcel are the hints of what Hatchville was like decades ago.  The foundations of old barns and a silo are visible.   Visitors can see  first hand, evidence of what author Les Garrick describes in his book, Historic Hatchville: Horse and Farm Country on Cape Cod, http://www.amazon.com/Historic-Hatchville-Horse-Farm-Country/dp/1626195110

• The first land purchases promoted by The 300 Committee in 1986 included the 212-acre Coonamessett property in Hatchville. Had town meeting and voters not supported the land trust’s recommendation, 225 homes would have been built on the property. Instead, the town saved an area that lies in the recharge zone for the Coonamessett and Crooked Pond town well sites, which provides a critical link between the two sections of the state Crane Wildlife Management Area, contains a variety of plant and wildlife habitats, and guarantees public access to a beach on the largest pond in Falmouth. The polo field on Ranch Road is a remnant of the sandplain grasslands, now rare, that are one of the Cape’s distinguishing critical habitats for endangered species.
• The Coonamessett Reservation was created out of numerous parcels surrounding the golf course, and as a result there are several points of access. A small parking lot on Ranch Road, off Route 151, provides access to the former polo field as well as to trails on the other side of Ranch Road leading to Little Jenkins Pond. A kiosk at the trail head contains a map of the trails. Parking for the beach on Coonamessett Pond is available on Boxberry Hill Road.
• The Pond is the largest freshwater pond in the town of Falmouth, and provides walking, swimming, kayaking, boating, and fishing.  The area includes a public beach at the north end of the pond, a boat and kayak launch area at the southwest corner with an access road through the Souza Parcel.
• Also in our area are the Dupee, Toner, and Clauson parcels.  In the Souza parcel are the cathedral pines and a stand of American Beech, and several vernal pools.  We also have Round pond, Pickerel pond, Crooked pond, Deep pond, Little pond, the town cranberry bogs between Hatchville and Sam Turner roads, and Coonamessett Farm.  The River Bend and Bartolomei parcels are nearby.  The Crane Wildlife Reservation is just to the north.  

Dupee Conservation Area

Starting with public access for fishing, Falmouth began protecting land around Coonamessett Pond and the Coonamessett River more than 40 years ago.  212 acres were preserved in 1986, the first year The 300 Committee campaigned for town acquisition of open space, preventing development of a 225-home subdivision.  Another significant step in the town’s long-term efforts to protect the Coonamessett River corridor came in 2002 with the purchase of 61.6 acreas from Paul Dupee.

Although the property, off Hatchville Road, is dense with trees and an understory of briars and huckleberry, the foundation of an old barn serves as a reminder of the large dairy farms that dominated Hatchville in the last century.  Atamannsit, the private road that leads to several houses on the pond, takes its name from one of the leading dairy farms.

George St. Amant purchased some 123 acres on the pond in 1915.  He first used the land as a fishing and hunting camp.  Then he went in the dairy business, and Atamannsit Farm became one of the largest farms on the Cape, known for its purebread Guernsey cattle.  The Depression forced Mr. St. Amant to give up farming and sell his cattle.  He put the land up for sale, and in 1938, Norman E. Dupee bought the 123 acres through foreclosure for $20,000.

The land was divided among Mr. Dupee’s three children.  His son Norman tried his hand at cranberry farming and growing exotic bulbs and Christmas trees.  He didn’t sell many.  The evergreens are still there, now nearly 40 feet tall.

Although most of the land on the pond front is privately owned, the town parcel now includes a small section of beach.

The Matt Souza Conservation Area

The Matt Souza Conservation Area is a long, narrow parcel at the headwaters of the Coonamessett River.  The property follows the river from Hatchville Road north to the Coonamessett Pond.  A rutted, dirt road through 25 acreas provides boating access for fishing.  At 158 acres, Coonamessett is the town’s largest pond, and the herring run that leads to Great Pond on Vineyard Sound is the town’s most important run.

 Efforts to protect the herring run started in 1964 when the town purchased a small parcel bordering the river.  More land was acquired in 1970.  The parcel was dedicated to the town’s long-time game warden and conservation officer, Matthew R. Souza.  Matt Souza retired in 1974 after 30 years of service.  He was always and advocate for and guardian of Falmouth’s woods.

A small parking area and kiosk on the north side of Hatchville Road, just beyond the entrance to Atamannsit Road, provides access for both the Matt Souza and Dupee conservation areas.