Summer Hill (formerly called Pompositticutt Hill) has a long and varied history. The summit of the hill, at 250 feet above the Assabet River, is the highest point in Maynard, and therefore holds the town's water tanks and antenna facility.
The hill was once cleared for pastureland affording great views. It was owned by the Gibson family and later the Maynard family. It is said that in the early 1700s, well after the King Phillip War, Native Americans powwowed here and decided to invade Sudbury instead of Concord (because they feared a very religious man who lived in Concord.) In the mid-1900s, the Ku Klux Klan held a flag-burning rally on the hill. During World War II, The US Air Force built a tower for civil defense.
The trail head on Summer Hill Road starts quite level, but turns up steeply towards the summit. From the summit, a trail, currently under construction, leads down the north slope to a trail head on Summer Street. Along the way there are stands of shag bark hickory, walnut and butternut trees, as well as, fields of ferns, a small wetland, and other natural features of note. Unfortunately, invasive plants (such as bittersweet vines, burning bush, and buckthorn) are rapidly changing the character of the woods. |
|
