Hassanamesit Woods

Hassanamesit Woods is a time capsule permeated with evidence of the past. Property boundaries of 18th and 19th-century owners—Indians and Anglo settlers—remain. Stone walls outline former fields and pastures. Grafton’s industrial growth left its mark with railroad cuts and abandoned roads. Traces of peach and apple orchards from the early 20th century are still visible. The power line corridor, once a raw scar but now a valuable shrubland habitat for birds, reveals the energy needs of late 20th-century suburban growth.

Hassanamesit had a long ownership by Hassanamisco Indians of the Nipmuc Nation and became a "Praying Indian Town" as designated by the colonial government in 1654. The land had a vital role in the agrarian history of Grafton.

On July 21, 2004 the town of Grafton assumed full ownership and in 2006 Grafton received the state’s highest preservation award for the Hassanamesit Woods project. The award citation commended Grafton for its outstanding work in the areas of archeology, education and outreach, and landscape preservation. (Text adapted from the website)