tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8436846479279507747.post2497582890696565376..comments2024-03-29T07:33:15.505-04:00Comments on Hell's Acres: The Ruins of Laughing Brook, Part 1Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger40125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8436846479279507747.post-44684294232898364012022-04-01T19:56:48.959-04:002022-04-01T19:56:48.959-04:00I appreciate the effort that went into this post- ...I appreciate the effort that went into this post- I learned many things. My family lived in Hampden during my high school/college years and I remember visiting Laughing Brook many times. It was (and remains) a special place to connect with nature. It saddens me greatly that Laughing Brook has been neglected in this way. I'm curious about what, if anything, can be done to change that. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8436846479279507747.post-63791589579789545872021-12-02T13:56:38.140-05:002021-12-02T13:56:38.140-05:00It's now the end of 2021 and I am leaving a co...It's now the end of 2021 and I am leaving a comment on a blog post made 11 years ago. My mom used to take me to Laughing Brook when I was a little kid in the early 70s. Periodically, I reflect on my memories of those visits - the warm, sunny meadows, buzz of insects, animal exhibits, Old Mother Westwind, my belief at the time that I could, indeed, hear the brook laughing. Yesterday, I mentioned this to a group of people and realized that Laughing Brook instilled my childhood - and the rest of my life - with a deep feeling of connection with and affection for nature. I'm saddened by the neglect of its heritage and deterioration of its historic buildings. If we're honest with ourselves, though, we realize that this has happened, not because of bad management by the Audubon Society, but instead because local communities and the society at large have stopped caring about (re)acquainting children and their families with the natural world. Nature has become simply a backdrop or, at best, a distraction. Last I checked, #1 on the New York Times Childrens' Series Best Seller List is Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Interestingly, the 4th book, entitled "Dog Days," has this description: "It’s summer vacation, the weather’s great, and all the kids are having fun outside. So where’s Greg Heffley? Inside his house, playing video games with the shades drawn." I wager that if we could find ways to reverse that trend, funding for the restoration of Laughing Brook would quickly follow.MKimballnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8436846479279507747.post-38513111254876103002020-05-26T09:33:47.210-04:002020-05-26T09:33:47.210-04:00To Unknown......what a wonderful idea......I wonde...To Unknown......what a wonderful idea......I wonder if anyone has approached GreatHorse......I think it is well worth the effort of at least talking with them.......perhaps some of the "Friends" group who know the history.......The family does do some great donations and this is "their" town now.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02753049883404790535noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8436846479279507747.post-34048127061301109482016-09-11T10:56:03.905-04:002016-09-11T10:56:03.905-04:00I use to work as a tour guide for the School group...I use to work as a tour guide for the School groups that would come visit, back in the 1980s and 90s. Its a shame everything has been destroyed and not reestablished . Laughing Brook was an epicenter of Nature Education for all surrounding towns school children. Teaching children to appreciate nature should be everyones mission in life since we are all stewards of this land! Laughing Brook Wildlife and Education Center brought hands on experience for children with the programs, which benefited so many local towns. Maybe funding could come in from the Great Horse Golfing Center and donated to the Audubon Sanctuary to rebuild a new Sanctuary with education programs !!Tess Ahlberghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05795944062621127736noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8436846479279507747.post-91995881923303153522016-08-01T15:52:25.182-04:002016-08-01T15:52:25.182-04:00Hi Nancy,
Thanks for the comment. I bring my fami...Hi Nancy,<br /><br />Thanks for the comment. I bring my family out to hike there, but I wish it had some semblance of its past glory.Hell's Acresnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8436846479279507747.post-76526529259607746812016-08-01T15:41:08.242-04:002016-08-01T15:41:08.242-04:00Thank you for your wonderful detailed accounting o...Thank you for your wonderful detailed accounting of this excellent example of a case where the wrong people were left in charge. Clearly their hearts were not into the importance of the legacy entrusted to them. All that's left is our tender memories. Nancy A. Hladik<br />nancy hladiknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8436846479279507747.post-54294271544864167762014-05-12T11:49:32.059-04:002014-05-12T11:49:32.059-04:00I don't have any photos of the gift shop, but ...I don't have any photos of the gift shop, but I'll be on the lookout!<br /><br />Thanks for posting.Hell's Acresnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8436846479279507747.post-54648259145301341342014-05-12T11:42:41.260-04:002014-05-12T11:42:41.260-04:00What a great post. We came here a lot in the 70...What a great post. We came here a lot in the 70's when I was kid. I remember one field trip and a visit to the gift shop where I bought a red comb in the shape of sea-horse. Are any of the photos above of the gift shop? I remember a very small building, and I think having to go up some stairs, but I'm not sure. Thanks for the article and the images!dbonnevillehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03560456106295327646noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8436846479279507747.post-70199683943858303512014-04-22T08:57:46.891-04:002014-04-22T08:57:46.891-04:00Thanks, Gabriella,
I still take my wife and kids ...Thanks, Gabriella,<br /><br />I still take my wife and kids hiking there regularly, but I can't help but envision how much my eight-year-old boy would have loved the facilities and programs I enjoyed when I was a child.Hell's Acresnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8436846479279507747.post-47810633430071548772014-04-22T08:37:23.406-04:002014-04-22T08:37:23.406-04:00Holy smokes! (No reference to the fires :( ) it...Holy smokes! (No reference to the fires :( ) it's April 22, 2014, Earth Day, and just by chance I googled the sanctuary I had field tripped to as a child and found this blog and slew of comments. How utterly depressing, yet not surprising. I moved away from 16 Acres in '89 to go to college and never came back to Massachusetts. The memories from my 3rd grade field trip were so powerful that the name of the Sanctuary and the image of the first Great Horned owl I ever saw have been burned into my memory. All things return to the Earth I suppose, with a healthy dose of apathy and inaction. I appreciate the authors research and willingness to share with us another illustration of what happens "when good men (and women) do nothing." I've since lived in other parts of the country where preserving natural beauty is a governmental priority. The situation at Laughing Brook doesn't shock me at all. Honestly, while I will cherish my formative experiences at Laughing Brook, inadvertently it is being returned to the natural order and it's status as "preserved" will protect it as a quiet and wild space. Do I lament that there won't be new generations of memory-holders? Yes. But I trust in the beauty and wisdom of the Great Mother to persevere past humanity's fleeting, impulsive cycles of preservation and neglect. Thank you, blog-author for your hard work and sharing. Gabriella "Laughingbrook" Tebbensnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8436846479279507747.post-32299982827070646652013-07-13T18:44:42.791-04:002013-07-13T18:44:42.791-04:00We lived right up the road from his home and I rem...We lived right up the road from his home and I remember many visits to his place where me and my brothers would take our carefully saved nickles and dimes to purchase a new book and sit and listen to him tell us stories for hours!! I will never foget those wonderful memories. Thanks for sharing the information! sad to see the place in such a state. Great pictures!!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01261050032022025339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8436846479279507747.post-50223729985770633082012-06-22T09:25:38.347-04:002012-06-22T09:25:38.347-04:00Hi Kels,
There has been stabilization work on the...Hi Kels,<br /><br />There has been stabilization work on the writing studio (see part 2 at http://hellsacres.blogspot.com/2011/04/ruins-of-laughing-brook-part-2.html) but, in terms of facilities, the Laughing Brook you remember as a child is long gone.<br /><br />The trails are good, however, and I suggest a visit. It will certainly bring back memories.Hell's Acresnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8436846479279507747.post-89451119463771853572012-06-21T20:27:14.061-04:002012-06-21T20:27:14.061-04:00This is disappointing. I went there as child with ...This is disappointing. I went there as child with my grandmother. I came upon this as I was planning a trip to the area and thought it would be a great place to take my nine year old. Has there been any improvement?kelsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8436846479279507747.post-55812702765622113212012-01-26T08:58:06.362-05:002012-01-26T08:58:06.362-05:00Is it going through an official restoration? Pleas...Is it going through an official restoration? Please fill us in, because all I've seen is stabilization effort.<br /><br />As for a de-stabilization effort, I noticed last summer that someone cut down trees on the esker path and used the felled trees to block the path and pedestrian access to the structure.<br /><br />While this dissuades your average Joe (not me) from getting to the studio, it also will probably exacerbate an already troublesome erosion problem. The tree roots help keep the ever-narrowing esker soil together. Killing the trees will do the opposite.<br /><br />This was not a brilliant move. "Restore" the studio and wreck the esker? Idiotic.Hell's Acresnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8436846479279507747.post-76764492717528169502012-01-20T21:48:46.461-05:002012-01-20T21:48:46.461-05:00the studio is officially going through a restorati...the studio is officially going through a restoration - sadly with so much irreparable damage already....Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8436846479279507747.post-57541604879322392622011-11-13T12:00:46.605-05:002011-11-13T12:00:46.605-05:00Very well written and documented. I grew up in Ha...Very well written and documented. I grew up in Hampden and remember walking to Laughing Brook on field trips from Green Meadows, seeing the animals, buildings, and walking the trails (on both sides of Main street). I as well am curious as to what the state of things truly is, and about the possibility of a Landmark or Monument. So much good happened there, it's a shame that it has been let go and seemingly left to rot.<br />I would be interested in helping the efforts mentioned by others to bring Laughing Brook back.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8436846479279507747.post-2984741210634666472011-10-03T20:33:11.043-04:002011-10-03T20:33:11.043-04:00Any info on who the caretaker is? Is he/she an emp...Any info on who the caretaker is? Is he/she an employee of Mass Audubon? Under what circumstances does he/she live there? You should approach him/her and get his/her side of the story. Excellent article, looking forward to more installments.Heavyweightnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8436846479279507747.post-80680676546449687742011-08-31T19:53:56.170-04:002011-08-31T19:53:56.170-04:00Great post very sad to see as I remember going the...Great post very sad to see as I remember going there as a child with my grand pa. He spent many hrs there. I was hoping to see a plaque with his name on it in your post. It was on the trail on the same side as the Burgess house. I have some auto graphed copys of different books from Burgess that my grand pa had. I look forward to reading the second post. Thanks againTom (Liberty, TN)https://www.blogger.com/profile/03196924766968058658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8436846479279507747.post-2888896454794354252011-07-27T10:28:20.256-04:002011-07-27T10:28:20.256-04:00Hi JP,
I don't know if the Thornton W. Burges...Hi JP,<br /><br />I don't know if the Thornton W. Burgess Society was ever approached about any restoration effort, but feel free to send the TWB Society a link to this blog post. I believe that if citizens voiced their concerns to this group about the condition of Laughing Brook, something could be done.<br /><br />Their focus is on TWB's literary legacy, but the sanctuary in Hampden is a big part of that. The place that inspired him and where he wrote much of his stories shouldn't be ignored and neglected.Hell's Acresnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8436846479279507747.post-37193730358089289942011-07-26T15:38:25.818-04:002011-07-26T15:38:25.818-04:00Was the Thornton Burgess Society in E. Sandwich co...Was the Thornton Burgess Society in E. Sandwich contacted about participating in restoring Laughing Brook? I am working on a feature story which includes mention of Thornton Burgess and his radio program in the 1920s. Having been a freelance writer when I lived on Cape Cod - I did several features about Burgess and the Society - they would have done a wonderful job with Laughing Brook - but then, the society began with the local junior women's club and they've kept it pretty well Sandwich -oriented.<br /> Your extensive, well researched and well-written piece is wonderful. Thanks, JPAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8436846479279507747.post-16455213839008159452011-06-07T14:16:03.138-04:002011-06-07T14:16:03.138-04:00Thanks for compiling all this info! I remember whe...Thanks for compiling all this info! I remember when LB was a nice place. I did feel sad for the 'yote and the b-cat. I remember the skunk and porkies stank. Didn't they also have a poor female rattlesnake that someone found NW of Spfld, back in the 70's? They shoulda released that snake back to the wild.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8436846479279507747.post-47672874361668363232011-04-14T10:55:46.275-04:002011-04-14T10:55:46.275-04:00Hi JLK,
Thanks for the comment. It's never to...Hi JLK,<br /><br />Thanks for the comment. It's never too late, and I admire your initiative. Please keep us informed on Mass Audubon's follow-up to your proposal.Hell's Acresnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8436846479279507747.post-67779509358855091972011-04-11T14:46:37.243-04:002011-04-11T14:46:37.243-04:00A little late to the party here, but my plan is to...A little late to the party here, but my plan is to start that grassroots movement. I'm a professional fundraiser in a way for public and private schools in CT and MA and I also grew up in Springfield. Laughing Brook was my favorite place on earth in the 80s & 90s before its ultimate demise. <br /><br />I know nothing of the Friends of Laughing Brook and I am not (nor have I ever been) a resident of Hampden. But I have been in touch with Mass Audubon this week about volunteering to take over fundraising efforts for Laughing Brook. My goal is to save the buildings, add back the staff and build a new (smaller) nature center, bring back the programs and day camps, bring back the animals, and most importantly - bring back the visitors. <br /><br />I'm waiting to get the blessing and go-ahead from Mass Audubon as well as some financial figures. If you'd be interested in helping and/or know others who would be interested in these efforts, email me at fragile12682@gmail.com.JLKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05396471022931966499noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8436846479279507747.post-20368787216298148692011-03-29T08:59:55.276-04:002011-03-29T08:59:55.276-04:00Thanks for the comment, E.M. An update to this sto...Thanks for the comment, E.M. An update to this story is coming in several days.Hell's Acresnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8436846479279507747.post-55931246525983120262011-03-28T16:34:09.938-04:002011-03-28T16:34:09.938-04:00So sad to see. I volunteered there in the 70s and ...So sad to see. I volunteered there in the 70s and illustrated a coloring book for them in 1978. I found a copy in my files just today which led me to wonder about Laughing Brook and remember all the fun we had. It will break my boys' hearts to see what has become of a place so dear in their childhood memories.<br /><br />E.M. CorsaE.M. Corsahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14829869418729185410noreply@blogger.com