Jacobs Pond Conservation Area

81 Jacobs Ln, Norwell, MA 02061, USA

Norwell Conservation: (781) 659-8022

Owned By: Town of Norwell

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The Jacobs Pond Conservation Area features 189 acres of Norwell Conservation land with an extensive trail system around the north, east, and west sides of the 60-acre pond, and occasional boardwalks. There are canoe/kayak launches at both the Jacobs Lane and Duncan Drive entrances. The former features an ADA-accessible kayak launch along with a fishing area. Other fishing locations include on the property include the Cliff Prentiss Bridge near Duncan Drive, the island within the pond, and the water’s edge along Main Street. No motors (gas or electric) are permitted on the pond.

Winter activities here include cross country skiing, ice skiing, ice boating, and ice fishing.

HUNTING: Those who hold town-issued permits may use only the western portion of this property (west of trails JP10 and JP13) for seasonal hunting and trapping. Hunting is not allowed on, or across, any trail. Visit the hunting page on Norwell’s website for details. Non-hunters, be mindful of hunting seasons, and wear bright orange if you’re entering the property during those times. Hunting is not permitted on Sundays.

FISHING ADVISORY: It’s important to know that some of our freshwater fisheries are contaminated with mercury, PFAS and/or other concerning substances. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health maintains an online database with up-to-date advisories regarding fish consumption, sorted by location. We recommend you consult this valuable resource when planning a fishing excursion.

Features

Jacobs Pond was created in 1723 when Third Herring Brook was dammed, at Main Street, to create power for a grist mill and later a sawmill. The sawmill burned down in 1920. Also at this site, there was a brick manufacturing facility (1680-1830).

The area itself is known as Assinippi. The name, given by early native inhabitants, means “rocky water.” There was a Native American settlement here prior to European contact, and there is a Native American burial ground across the street at the Union Cemetery. The pond was originally called Snapper (or Snapper) Pond. “Snapper/Snappet” was a play on the word “Assinippi.” Later it was named for the Jacobs family, whose farmhouse, barn, and hay fields are located across Jacobs Lane (now overseen by Norwell’s Conservation and Historic Commissions).

This land is within the region of the Massachusett (or Massachuseuk) Native American tribe. For thousands of years, the land today known as Norwell was inhabited by indigenous people who grew crops, foraged, hunted, and fished in the Assinippi and North River areas. Circa 1617, a major outbreak of disease decimated an estimated 90% of the native population in New England. Descendants of these original inhabitants are living here today. They are known as the Mattakeesett Tribe of the Massachusett Indian Nation, the Massachusett Tribe at Ponkapoag, the Herring Pond Wampanoag, and the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe.

Trail Description

Trail access is provided in 3 areas: at Jacobs Lane, at Prospect Street, and via the Cliff Prentiss Bridge off Duncan Drive. From the Jacobs Lane parking area, a dirt road leads to the pond and the 3-mile trail network. The trails are mostly dirt, but there are also some boardwalks that traverse wetlands. While generally flat, some of the terrain is uneven due to tree roots. Along the western side of the pond, the trail follows an esker ridge.

Habitats and Wildlife

The headwaters for Third Herring Brook are located north of Jacobs Pond, in the southern portion of Valley Swamp. Third Herring Brook exits the pond from the southern side, at the dam. The brook forms the border between Norwell and Hanover, and flows into the North River downstream of the old stone bridge on Washington Street.

The North River rises from marshes and springs in Weymouth, Rockland and Hanson. It is approximately 10 miles in length, with its source at the confluence of the Indian Head River (Hanover) and Herring Brook (Pembroke). From there it flows through the towns of Hanover, Pembroke, Marshfield, Norwell, and Scituate to the Atlantic Ocean between Third and Fourth Cliffs, draining approximately 59,000 acres along the way.

Between Jacobs Pond and Historic Sylvester Field in Hanover, there aren’t many public places to view Third Herring Brook, but it’s exciting to consider everything that has been happening there lately! Since 2014, NSRWA has worked with federal, state, and local officials to remove three dams from the brook. As a result, water quality has improved and wildlife habitat has been restored. The three dams were originally constructed to provide water power to sawmills and grist mills.

Since 2014, three obsolete dams have been removed from Third Herring Brook. All three dams were originally constructed to provide water power to sawmills. NSRWA worked with federal, state, and local officials to remove the dams. As a result, water quality has improved and wildlife habitat has been restored. We are watching closely with the hope of seeing brook trout and river herring return to their now-restored habitat.

Locations of the dam removals:

• The Mill Pond Dam, located behind today’s Hanover YMCA, dates back to about 1690, and was originally built by the Curtis family. Later owners were T. J. Gardner and Samuel Church, who operated both a sawmill and a grist mill on site. The last mill building burned down in 1937. After a partial collapse of the dam in 2001 and a breach of the dam in 2010, the NSRWA and the Hanover YMCA worked together to raise funds for removal of the dam. It was removed in 2014 — the first dam removal in our watershed!

• The Tack Factory Pond (or Tiffany Pond) Dam, located on Cardinal Cushing School property, was established in the 1670s by Charles Stockbridge for a grist mill. Later Recompense Tiffany took over operations, and the mill pond was named for him. In 1834, Zephaniah Talbot and Samuel Salmond established a tack factory on site. The factory building remained in use into the 20th century. According to Joseph Merritt’s History of South Scituate-Norwell, Samuel Salmond Sylvester owned it in 1938. The factory burned down in 1983, and the dam was removed in 2016.

At Jacobs Pond, the pond and conservation area provide habitat for small mammals, fish, turtles, frogs and birds. Common fish found here include chain pickerel, yellow perch, calico bass, and largemouth bass. Listen and watch for toads, turtles, and a variety of frogs (bullfrogs, green frogs, pickerel frogs). You may see snapping turtles and northern water snakes too.

The forest surrounding the pond is made up primarily of pine and oak, but you’ll also find beech, hemlock, maple, and a few clusters of mountain laurel. In the wetlands, look for ferns and skunk cabbage. Also present, a small pocket of Inland Atlantic White Cedar Swamp, and some Acidic Shrub Fen.

Sources: L. Vernon Briggs – History of Shipbuilding on North River, Plymouth County, Massachusetts (1889); Joseph Foster Merritt – A Narrative History of South Scituate-Norwell, Massachusetts (1938), and John Stetson Barry – A Historical Sketch of the Town of Hanover, Mass., with Family Genealogies (1853).