Phillips Sanctuary and Firehouse Loop

Owned By: Town of Hanover

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• Trail Map

55 acres of Hanover Conservation land, comprised of the Morrill Allen Phillips Sanctuary and the Merry Conservation parcel. Features 1.6 miles of intersecting, well-marked forest paths plus the occasional boardwalk and footbridge. A pleasant walk in the woods!

Features

Directly behind the Fire Station Museum is 11 acres of land known as the Merry Property. Trails connect it to the larger Morrill Allen Phillips Wildlife Sanctuary. Stone walls indicate this property’s agricultural past.

This land is within the region of the Massachuseuk (or Massachusett) Native American tribe.

Trail Description

From the Firehouse Museum, the entrance trail leads across a footbridge to an extended forest loop with several spurs to private properties. Another entrance, with access to the same loop, begins at the end of Alden Road, where you’ll find signage for the Morrill Allen Phillips Sanctuary. The 1.6 miles of trails are mostly wide and easy to navigate. Many are marked with red or green blazes.

Habitats and Wildlife

Look for white tailed deer, coyotes, raccoons, garter snakes, and other creatures common to a pine woodland. A variety of birds call this parcel home. An unnamed brook runs through this property and eventually flows into the Indian Head River south of Broadway.

This property is located within the watershed of the Indian Head River. The Indian Head River rises from the Drinkwater River and Factory Pond in West Hanover. It forms the boundary between Hanover and Hanson, and merges with Pembroke’s Herring Brook, a short distance downstream of Ludden’s Ford Park, to form the North River at a spot called The Crotch. The North River flows 12 miles through Pembroke, Hanover, Norwell, Marshfield and Scituate, eventually making its way to Massachusetts Bay and the Atlantic Ocean.