Little Bay and Monks Park
by Gordon Schimmel
Monument Beach, Massachusetts
TRAIL MAP for Little Bay and Monk's Park
The history of this unique BCT property began at the turn of the 19th century when George Howard Monks, a Boston surgeon, married Olga Eliza Gardner, a niece of Isabella Stewart Gardner. As a wedding present, her parents gave the couple approximately one hundred acres of land that bordered Little Bay and stretched to the east across Shore Road. In 1945, the property was donated by the Monks family to the Episcopal Diocese of Boston for use as a conference center. The Diocese made frequent use of this property as a place for retreats and as a summer camp for young adults for more than fifty years until 1999, when the property was offered for sale.
Enter the Bourne Conservation Trust, with an offer to buy 30 acres for 3.6 million dollars, a purchase made easier by the sale of 10 acres to the north that included a house and several camp buildings. The offer was a leap of faith, as the remaining balance of 1 million dollars became the next big fundraising effort undertaken by the Trust. However, the campaign was a success and it was completed in 1999.
The BCT has several properties that border salt water and Little Bay is unique among them. The areas that make up the property contain extended and diverse woodland habitat that, for nearly half a mile along Shore Road, feature a dense forest of conifers and deciduous trees, punctuated here and there with seasonal wildflowers.
The parking area next to the sign on Shore Road may be a bit small but discovery on the trails for the explorer is large. There are many opportunities to escape into wildness using several of the BCT’s well-marked routes, one leading to a high and expansive view of Little Bay. Immediately adjacent and to the south is Monk’s Park conservation area, 9 acres purchased by the Town of Bourne in 2003. Together the properties provide more than 25 acres of woodlands and shore accessible to the public.
Beginning with a wedding gift, continuing with a second gift the Monks family made to the Diocese, and culminating in a very successful BCT fundraising effort, the Trust and the Town have preserved a significant woodland waterfront that can be enjoyed by all. And, while the trails and shoreline are beautiful at any time of day or season, magic awaits those who venture out when the damp, wet gloaming of fog envelops the area. This actually may be the best time for a visit; as the British say, “There is no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing.”
6/7/2024
Little Bay and Monks Park Slideshow
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TRAIL MAP for Little Bay / Monks Park