Save Warren Woods – Ashland Massachusetts

Save Warren Woods - Ashland Massachusetts 

Everywhere you look these days on the streets of Ashland you can see the bright green signs in people's lawns that read, "Save Warren Woods!" 

The Story of Warren Woods - Ashland

This pristine 140 acres of woodland is currently part of the Warren Conference Center which is owned by Northeastern University.  The land and all things surrounding it were once owned by Henry and Edith Warren.  

If you are familiar at all with Ashland you are probably aware of fact that in this town there are "all things Warren."  This is in tribute to one its most prominent citizens, Henry Warren who is credited with being the "Father of Electric Time."  

Henry Warren, who was an entrepreneur, inventory, philanthropist and a gentleman was one of Ashland's most revered figures.  A graduate of MIT, he moved to a picturesque farm in Ashland in 1904 and went on to design and invent his 135 patents.  One of those inventions was the electric clock.  

The farm that was Henry Warren's home, which he named Upland, is now the property that is used as The Warren Conference Center & Inn. It includes the original red barn where he worked on his numerous inventions. The land is also adjacent to Ashland State Park.

At the time of Warren's death in 1957 the land was donated to Northeastern University with provisions for its preservation.  But those provisions have now expired leaving the land vulnerable to possible development.  

That would be a tragic loss for Ashland since this is one of the last pieces of open space in town.  Residents fear that overdevelopment will change the personality of the town, put a strain on the school system and could possibly upset the ecological balance of what has been a protected land. 

Ashland's Citizens Organized to Save Warren Woods hopes to be able to successfully propose that the town used funds from the Community Preservation Act to purchase these lands.  

It will be part of the agenda of the Town Meeting in May. 

And, hopefully, their efforts will succeed in saving Warren Woods.

 Copyright 2010 "Save Warren Woods - Ashland Massachusetts"

 Claudette Millette, Broker, Owner, The Buyers' Counsel - (508) 881-6230

Your Buyer Broker for Massachusetts Since 1992

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