Many of my Ruins of South Branch Park hikes begin at the falls, especially now that the barrier chain is down and you can drive into to the “parking lot.”
On September 2, 1985, a 22-year-old Acres guy fell off the falls, suffered a head injury, and died. There isn’t anything about the accident in the newspaper, but several people I’ve communicated with insist it happened. According to his obituary, “the cause of death is under investigation.” It also reports that he died “at home.” Not sure what happened there, but what a tragedy in such a beautiful spot.
Over the years there had been several mills at the falls, ever since sixteen acres of land “with mill privileges” were granted there to Rowland Thomas, Thomas and John Stebbins, and Francis Pepper in 1651. There was a sawmill there in 1630. There was a gin distillery behind this building beginning in 1808. In 1860 the upper story of the gristmill was converted in to a “cotton batting and twine manufacturer” but it was destroyed by fire that year.
There was a replacement mill in 1861, but this one burned in the early morning hours of September 29, 1914:
The mill hadn’t been in operation in the final two years and was deemed an “eyesore,” according to the Springfield Daily News. Still, it had historic significance because it contained timbers from the original building.
This is the only photo I know of it, published in Pamela Chmiel Banusewicz’s book Close to Home (Sixteen Acres: From Rural Hamlet to Bustling Inner-City Suburb). Speculation in the newspaper hinted that the blaze was of “suspicious origin” and that “it didn’t just burn of itself.”
Gee, an abandoned building next to acres and acres of woods was burned. Could teenagers have been involved?
Anyone else have another photo of this building? Send me an email! Needless to say this structure is even more iconic to Sixteen Acres than the House of Television sign, because an earlier version of the mill is it pretty much what started the neighborhood. Many of the older homes in the Acres and Wilbraham were built with cut wood from the mill. The wood was originally harvested from trees on Wilbraham Mountain and “floated downstream”—when there was more water flowing down the South Branch.
A hydroelectric power plant was supposed to be built at the mill spot, but it never happened. Let’s cross the bridge and check out South Branch Park once again, shall we?
The view from the bridge
In the 1930s the falls and downstream land became a park, and WPA workers built these redstone steps:
The steps going downhill
The steps going uphill
I remember in the late 1960s and early ‘70s there was a great path that ran downhill so you could check out the roaring water, but now you have to really bushwhack your way through the woods to appreciate these vistas:
Hell, there isn’t even an unobstructed view of the falls anymore with all the underbrush.
Along the stream are the redstone underpinnings of a wood bridge that used to connect the east bank with the old Camp Angelina on the other side.
I can’t for the life of me remember when the bridge disappeared. In 1977 there were complaints by campers’ parents of its dilapidated condition, but I don’t know if it was ever fixed.
The above is likely a 1964 version of the aforementioned bridge on a cleanup day. Or some other bridge there.
Anyway, the downstream bridge was eventually burned, according to a Hell’s Acres commenter. “I've been told it was done by a Springfield cop who didn't want people crossing over to ‘his side’ and breaking into houses,” she wrote.
I hadn’t been down to the old Camp Angelina site in a while. Down the hill are what's left of the boards of the old “Siberia” rink:
I hadn’t been down to the old Camp Angelina site in a while. Down the hill are what's left of the boards of the old “Siberia” rink:
It was incredibly cold for skaters down there in the winter, but the name “Siberia” is also a play on “Seibert,” for whom the rink was named. A few years ago, on a wall at the Greenleaf Community Center, I found the old plaque that was saved from the vandalism spree that ended skating there forever in 1970:
There was the old warming hut. Hadn’t seen it in a year. Ominously spooky.
I peeked in, saw the silent guardian at his helm with his Coors Light jacket, and almost shit my pants.
Not sure what that deer head thing is.
The old warming hut had a hole smashed through its interior wall:
As you can see now the folks that go down there from time to time for campfires, smokes, and beverages at one time bashed through the rest of the wall that had divided it into two rooms.
But they couldn’t figure out that it was a supporting wall, so when the ceiling started caving in they had to make their own wooden supports.
By bashing in the wall, they were, in effect, ruining their own hangout.
Flattery will get you everywhere:
There’s a platform next to the rink. Wonder what that was for.
Here’s a new development: a tent!
Nobody lurking inside that sucker either.
Some of the original light poles are used in some bizarre sculpture:
Down the path, where the abandoned Camp Angelina was, the old busted slide and horse ride are still there:
The basketball backboards are a looking a little peaked, but there are fresh strings on the hoops! I think somebody still uses this court!
This small box-like structure next to the b-ball court seems to once have had an electrical outlet:
When I moved back here in 2007 I remember a small building that has since been taken out. I never took a photo! (It was before the blog.) It looked a lot like this building, which was torched in January of 1982:
Camp Angelina was named for the late Angelina Lacedonia, a woman who was committed to protecting the rights of the developmentally disabled after her experience with her youngest child. I’m not sure when the camp was abandoned, but it merged with Camp STAR and is now in Forest Park.
An old stone wall from the area's farming days
Past the camp, hiking back toward the falls on the South Branch Parkway side, here are a couple of ruins that escaped my attention: the remains of a bench, and quarried redstone blocks that prop up a pipe that carries water perhaps from a storm drain on the Parkway.
Here is the South Branch Parkway’s old redstone overlook, which very few seemed to notice until the tornado took out all the trees there in 2011.
The view of the golf course from the overlook
Someone from the Parks Department emailed me last year and stated that there is a citizen who is interested in restoring the Veterans memorial plaque on a redstone boulder near the lookout—just a little east of it on the Parkway. Sure enough, there is the spot where the plaque was cemented or glued on the rock:
He informed me that the volunteer would like to recreate the plaque, but I told the Parks guy I have no idea who might have a photo of it. However, I DO have an idea of who has the plaque itself. It isn’t hard to figure out:
17 comments:
That's not a very nice thing to say about my vagina.
So, one vandalism spree in 1970 and the entire rink was closed down? The 70s and 80s, and maybe even into the 90s were a hard time for public facilities. All these COVID-19 closures reminds me of that, in a way.
Hi Agawamian,
I remember the rink boards were intact several years after the vandalism, and I heard someone linked hoses to a house across the street to flood it and ice was made. But I think Cyr and Smead arenas were built shortly thereafter so there were places to skate. Hockey got popular after Bobby Orr hit the scene.
I think the vandalism prompted the raising of the white flag as far as volunteers went. Camp Wilder buildings were also trashed and burned in the late 60s and early 70s. Remote facilities will always be targeted by punks. The ruins of Mountain Park and Mount Tom were constantly burned.
Mount Tom SKI AREA, that is. The lodge was recently burned again.
Thanks for the great content, so happy to look forward to this each month!
When I was growing up I remember my father telling us about someone he knew drinking at the falls, hitting his head from falling and dying. He said that's why they put the fence up and why you couldn't really reach the area that looked like stone seating areas by Parker St. I haven't actually been there since they re-did the falls area.
Thanks for commenting. I'm not familiar with the stone seating areas you write about but I'll have to look the next time I go there.
From your pictures it looks like the bridge is about where they were. They may have moved them when they reconstructed the area and added the bridge. I honestly haven't been there since the early 90s, my father grew up by the back 9 of Veterans. My uncle though was usually the one telling the stories of their wild times.
Yes maybe the bridge was set back a bit. I don’t remember. I don’t think the people in the photo would casually stand on a broken down bridge so close to the falls.
Hey there I actually attended Camp Angelina from 1990 - 1995. I have very fond memories of the camp and could tell you the whole camp set up. I remember it like it was yesterday. The outdoor skate rink was filled with sand we used to call it the sandpit unaware that it was once a skate rink. The bridge over that stream was up during my time there and we used to hike all the time to the waterfall. Sucks to see it’s been overrun by growth. Thanks to your blog a friend of mine and I explored it a couple of years ago. The skate rink is a real creepy shanty town now for sure lol. Keep up the good work and if you’d like to know about Camp Angelina and how it was set up, I’ll gladly fill you in.
Hey RL,
I remember a greenish building when I moved back in ‘07. I saw a little fridge in there so I knew it was used recently. They removed the building shortly after and I never took a photo! Yes please remind me of the camp layout.
Ok. So you know there’s a main entrance to the old campground. Basically when you turn onto South Branch Pkwy from Parker go around that bend and 2/10 of mile on the right you’ll see that rocky dirt path. When the grounds were set up for the camp you would go down the hill and the main camp building would be there. It was more grey back then but I could see the moss and dirt turning it green. The fridge is where the lunches were stored. The building had the directors office, a big play area and bathrooms. If you left building turned right and walked perpendicular to South Branch Pkwy there was a large covering (you could probably describe it as a extra large gazebo) with I want to say 6 picnic tables. Past that running along the same path there was an in-ground pool with a large cabana for changing and a bathroom. Across from the picnic tables was a swingset. Down the hill and at the bottom was the slide and horse things with the basketball court. Beside the court was the path to the sandpit (outside rinks aka Siberia). After the court was a trail to go over the brook on the makeshift bridge and that would lead to the waterfall which we loved. We’d swim in there. The water seemed so cold and refreshing.
I love your blog. I hiked the trail off parker yesterday, and although I didnt find the rink or camp angelina, it was a wonderful hike none the less. Thanks for the tip
Yes to see the camp etc you enter via South Branch Parkway. The 2 sides were linked by a small bridge over the brook but it’s gone.
Hey Rl,
Thanks for giving detailed directions to the old camp grounds. I hiked it today and man was it surreal to see thatas well as the old hockey rink. I hope you are well, and do you know of any other spots like that, where I can hike and see a few obscure things?,
Hello Unknown glad you enjoyed yourself. The only spot I know similar to that is the old water park at Mt Tom. There’s still remnants left up there. You have to go to the main entrance of Mt Tom on Rte 5 and park at the gates to Mountain Park. Take the road on the right up and you should see the old water park on the left about a mile up the road.
We lived on Parker Street, across from the falls. Every winter, all of us neighborhood kids spent hundreds of hours sledding down the hill near the falls. On a good run with your Flexible Flier or flying saucer, you'd end up in the underbrush off the path at the bottom, scratched by brambles and claiming the glory of the day's longest run.
My mom, Eleanor Longley, is pictured in the newspaper article about the poor condition of the bridge. She and Mona Corriveau were always trying to better the community, from helping to establish the Sixteen Acres branch of the library, to fighting the widening of Parker Street to four lanes. (My mom particularly objected to the removal of the big shade trees that lined Parker Street when it was just a two-lane road. When the men and their chain saws arrived to cut down all the big trees, my mother sent my brother and me up the trees to protect them. The chain saws retreated that day but returned when we were away, turning the lofty maples, ashes, and elms into stumps.)
My older brother played hockey at the South Branch rink, and I remember my dad heading down there late on the coldest nights of the year to water the rink. He'd come home after midnight, once he'd laid down a new sheet of ice for the kids to play on. I'm sure other parents did the same.
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