Buckmaster Pond: From Glacier to Water Source

Buckmaster Pond has a long history of use. The pond itself dates all the way back to the ice age as a result of a melted glacier. But that was only the starting point.

Back when Westwood was still West Dedham, it was known as Pond Plain Pond, and was known as one of the three "Great Ponds" on the road towards Medfield.

In the early 1700s, there were plans to change the roads in the area, but landowners John Buckmaster and Nathaniel Kingsbury felt that it would impede on their property and impact it negatively, and eventually the project was dropped.

Nathan Kingsbury sold a half of an acre near the center of the Clapboard Trees Parish off of Pond Street to use as a cemetery. John Buckmaster was the first person to be buried in there after he died on January 12, 1752, but his grave was not marked. 

In 1848 the townspeople got together and built a monument on his plot that reads: "Erected 1848 By The Citizens of West Dedham/In Memory of John Buckmaster/The First Person Buried In These Grounds/Died Jan'y 12 1752 In His 71st Year."

Around 1873, the town of Dedham started plans for a water supply as a fire safety measure, and in 1876 the privately owned Dedham Water Company was formed, giving the town the right to take water from the Charles River, Buckmaster Pond and any other natural ponds, springs, and brooks in the area.

Nine years later, in 1885, Dedham granted Buckmaster Pond to the town of Norwood to help expand the town's sparse water supply. This didn't hold over too well with the residents of West Dedham. At this point, Buckmaster Pond was a hot spot for a variety of activities including swimming, boating, fishing, and for picnics in the surrounding groves. One of the coves was used even by the Baptist Church for services and baptisms.

"This was the straw that broke the camel's back," said John Pritchard, a member of the Westwood Historical Society.

By this time, all of the money was going towards the center of Dedham, and the citizens of West Dedham weren't seeing any of the benefits. The prospect of higher taxes caused by the purchase of the water company and the joining of the metropolitan water and sewer systems was enough to get the wheels rolling on petitions for incorporation, which happened just before the turn of the century in 1897.

For many years, the town of Norwood used the water from Buckmaster Pond.

"Then it was known as the reservoir," Pritchard said.

The area had a pumping station along High Street where the parking lot and field sit today. During that time the area was closed to activities including boating, fishing and swimming. Eventually the facilities were closed and torn down, and the area has become a popular spot for fishing and family activities once again.  

In recent years, there has been talk of using Buckmaster Pond as a secondary source of water for Norwood, and the issue continues to be revisited.

"The two towns, once parts of the Town of Dedham, have remained cordial, friendly, and cooperative over their histories, although Buckmaster Pond has remained a contentious issue, especially with the residents of Westwood," Pritchard said.