Old Hardy Pond News
This is a reprint of an article from The News-Tribune, Tuesday, September 19, 1972, by Rudy Currier.
Hardy Pond on way to restoration to Great Pond status in Waltham
Hardy Pond in Waltham is a Great Pond.
A Great Pond is a pond of more than 10 acres, protected by laws of Colonial times. This would include such purposes as conservation, recreation and beauty. But Is Hardy Pond protected? Is it worth saving? These are some of the questions pond neighbors want answered.
Many residents do not realize the once beautiful body of water in North Waltham was used for swimming, boating and fishing, but it was.
Now civic groups like the Conservation Commission and Lakeview Park Association hopes those uses will be restored. In fact, boating has improved since the Conservation Commission started its reclamation project this past summer. And, there are some "bass. and pickerel appearing," says Mrs. Harold M. Burstein, chairman of the Commission, and she added "that's a good sign."
ONCE A BEACH
Before the weeding project got underway no boating was feasible because of the mass amount of weeds and algae. As for swimming that may be a long way off.
However, 20 to 25 years ago the city used to put sand on the shore and it was reportedly an ideal beach.Home building, filling and encroachment of the shore have deprived the pond of beach areas.
Hardy Pond is located between Lake St. and Trapelo Rd. It has much Colonial antiquity. It was earlier described as containing "100 acres and one mile In circumference" and was reported "abounding In fish."
Before it was named Hardy Pond (sometimes it has been referred to as Lake Hardy), it was known as Great Pond in the Woods, Samuel's, Sherman's Pond and Mead's Pond.
The name of Samuel was referred to as the son of Sir Richard Saltonstall, who was one of the earlier leading Colonial spirits in the 1630's. Waltham, of course was once part of Watertown, and Watertown was then called "Sir Richard's Plantation." Some inhabitants wanted the pond called Lake Saltonstall.
START OF BASIN
Samuel's Meadows were a landmark in those early days and the area in later years along with other area meadows was the base for the Cambridge Water Basin. Hardy Pond, then "Great Pond in the Woods," was long in the area before the Cambridge Water Basin.
The Hardy to which the modern-day Walthamites refer to was Nahum Hardy, a onetime farmer, School Committeeman and insurance man. He was born in Westborough, Oct. 30, 1781 and his opportunity for education was meager.
He attended a district school and was bound out to the Fay family in Northborough, then went to live with a Quaker family in Portland, Me. In a few years he sailed to Georgia where he engaged in cutting lumber.While there he nearly was drowned but was saved by a Negro. After coming to Boston he settled in Waltham about 1806. He leased a farm in Lincoln, remaining there until 1809. He then leased a farm in Waltham known as Harvard College Plot, later buying it. The name is perpetuated by the way known as College Farm Rd.
The land had been exempt from taxes and when he became the owner (1839) the town assessed him for back taxes. He fought the case, served as his own lawyer and won it. This so pleased the college authorities that they offered free tuition so that he might become a lawyer but he turned the offer down. He sold the house to his brother and later built a house on Lexington St. Besides farming he engaged in the insurance business for 25 years.
After retiring he built a home on Curve St., where he died Aug. 29, 1864, at the age of 82. He was a member of Waltham Fire Engine Company in 1824.
RICH VALLEY
To get back to the pond, it is located in the "Valleys of Trapelo." Trapelo has "an elevation of nearly 200 feet above the level of the Charles River" and is reported "cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter than on the 'plain' below." history says.
The earliest settlers in Waltham lived on Trapelo Rd., because of its rich soil which produced "the finest of fruits and vegetables." This highway was then the shortest route from Cambridge to the College Farm in Waltham. In former years there were many steeper hills in "Trapelo."
Hardy Pond's flow-off is the formation of Chesterbrook, which skirts around Stearns Hill, wends its way under Lexington St. and eventually into the Charles River.
The pond area, earlier known as Pond End District, was an old Indian settlement. One of the neighbors, whose home was reported a settlement and being interested in archeology began digging one day and came up with an Indian bowl.
The home of Albert LaForte, 170 Lakeview Ave., was once an Indian settlement. The Indians used the pond as a fishing ground.
This was singled out by John Eliot, the apostle to the Indians, who told of an event at the then Sherman's Pond, in June of 1676.
Eliot reported "some of the Indians who still had wigwams on the Western shore, observed the fish come up on the shore. When some of the farmers drove their cows to water they not only noticed that the sand was strewn with all kinds of fish from the pond, but that the cows refused to drink the water. This continued for three days.
FIRST POLLUTION
"A large eel, which was wriggling about the shore, was thrown back into the water, but immediately returned and remained until dead. Both the Indians and whites ate freely of the fish without hurt. During the three days many cart loads of fish came ashore, but after a time the water became harmless again.
"It was conceived to be the effect of some mineral vapour that at the time had made an earlier irruption into the water."
Area residents know "there is no sand in evidence but possibly beneath the silt and loam on the shore it could be found" said Mrs. Lloyd V. (Helen) Pugsley, 3 Lake Rd., a neighbor of the pond and a member of the board of directors of Lakeview Park Association. She is the present secretary.
The association, now headed by Mrs. Barbara Melideo, 175 Smith St., has been waging a long battle, more than 10 years to have Hardy Pond cleaned up.
Mrs. Pugsley says the association in no way is interfering with the Conservation Commission, in fact said, "we endorse their work and are just thrilled." The association was formed In 1960. Incidentally, Mrs. Melideo is the first woman president.
The association is fighting the plan of the city to have a swamp section at the Northern end of the pond used as a dump. The association "spurns this," Mrs. Pugsley said.
Mrs. Pugsley told the News Tribune that filling has aggravated the pond level causing it to overflow many times and complaints are received as the pond can rise and fall as much as 16 inches.
LONG RANGE PLAN
Mrs. Burstein, better known as "Kit," says "we hope the pond will be used more, we're trying to improve it on a long range program."
She said 23 truckloads of weeds, amounting to 300 tons, were taken out of the pond this summer in a machine raking process. Because of the weeds "you couldn't use a motorboat," she said. She added, "the pond can really he developed."
Mrs. Burstein commented that Thomas W. Taylor, the city's recreation director, "was considering it for use if it can be improved." She spoke of such uses as docks, sailing boats with possible lessons.Mrs. Burstein added "while the pond is a Great Pond coming under the stale Division of Waterways," the city can control it but they (the former) don't spend any money on it. Mrs. Burstein is hardly a neighbor of the pond, living across the city at 36 Riverside Dr. She is vitally interested in conservation.
And whether it's 100 acres or 45 acres (the state calls it 47) the pollution remains, "nearly destroying the area." Mrs. Burstein spoke of the $8,000 the city has appropriated for the reclamation project and the contract with Process Research Inc., Cambridge, which will make an evaluation of the pond.
Ideas for the reclamation of Hardy Pond were discussed as far back as September of 1961 when 100 residents met officials to assess the situation. Mayor at the time was the late Austin D Rhodes.
Also present was State Sen. William E. Hayes, Recreation Director Rosario Mula and Health Department Director Joseph T. Mulcahy. A host of city councilors attended that meeting, called because of health hazards. Executive director of the association was Harry A. Lesser.
Public works Director Herbert F. Howe and Richard I. Furbush, secretary of the Metropolitan District Commission, were also in attendance.
BIGGEST HORNPOUT
Lesser had spoken before the City Council of the "increasing
buildup of sediment, the overabundance of lily pads and the muskrat colony."
Films of the hazards were shown. One resident claimed he had to "beat off" muskrats from invading his home.Mayor Rhodes told the assembled, "I had a boat on Hardy Pond 65 years ago when it wasn't in the terrible condition it is now. We used to catch the biggest hornpout around in the pond."
There was talk at that meeting that the state or the MDC might take over the pond, but this never resulted and it still is in the Division of Waterways.
City councilors in April of 1962 hedged on an appropriation of $3,500 for the Health Department to administer a chemical control program at, the pond. Some councilors insisted since it was a Great Pond, it was under the jurisdiction of the state.
And the polluted problem continues -- but a good start has been made by the Conservation Commission -- and lo before many years youngsters might again be swimming in that pretty blue water.
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Hardy Pond Association, Inc.
104 Lake Street
Waltham MA 02451-3123
781-899-5344
info@hardypond.org