Kopke Playground

492 Keene St, Duxbury, MA 02332, USA

Owned By: Town of Duxbury

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This grassy park / outdoor athletic complex offers a small playground, plus facilities for baseball, basketball, soccer, tennis, and lacrosse. Also known as Walter F. Kopke Park.

Features

Once called the Keene Street Playground, this property was re-dedicated in August 2000 to Walter F. Kopke, the “Mayor of Ashdod.” Kopke served as a Conservation Commissioner and was a prominent resident of the Ashdod section of town. Community Preservation Funds supported the park’s renovation.

Prior to European contact, the Mattakeeset band of the Massachuseuk (or Massachusett) Native American tribe lived for thousands of years in the North River watershed. Their village included most of today’s Pembroke and Hanson. Meanwhile the Patuxet band of the Wampanoag tribe inhabited the Jones River watershed, and the area now known as Kingston, Plymouth and Duxbury. This property lies within the upper portion of the South River watershed — right between those two territories. It’s possible that both tribes utilized the area.

Trail Description

An unmarked trail network is accessible from the southern end of Kopke Park. Please note that it is private property and not open to the public.

Habitats and Wildlife

The property is bordered on all sides by pine/oak forest. Keene’s Brook finds its source in the wetlands between Congress, Taylor, Union and Keene streets. It flows through today’s Camp Wing property and into Keene’s Sawmill Pond. Just downstream of the Keene’s Sawmill historic site, it flows into the South River.

The South River originates deep in Duxbury. Its source is in the Round Pond area, and from there it winds unobtrusively through the woods for several miles. Although one can view it from Route 3, and also from both the South River Bog and the Camp Wing Conservation Area, it remains a narrow and mostly un-navigable stream until just below Veterans Memorial Park. From there it flows through South River Park, behind the playground of South River School, and under the Willow Street and Francis Keville Bridges. Wider at that point, and navigable at most tides, its course winds through the marshes as it runs parallel to Route 139, all the way to Rexhame. From there the river turns northward. It flows for 3 miles between Humarock and the mainland to Fourth Cliff, where it joins the North River at its outlet to the sea.