Every warm weekend, crowds of families with young children flock to their local Lincoln Woods park for a quick dip in the lake or a game of soccer in the fields adjacent to the parking lot. Older couples might take an early morning stroll on the tranquil pedestrian paths with a pug or poodle in tow. Missing in the action are many local teenagers who live a two-minute drive from the park and yet do not take advantage of the peace it provides. The fall and spring foliage could be the perfect backdrop for back-to-school photos, while cross-country runners could complete a workout on the moderately hilly terrain. Volleyball athletes could easily set up a playing net on the green grass or even at one of the two beaches the park has to offer for a change of scenery. Looking for a new hobby? Try fishing around the perimeter of the lake or kayaking to the small islands in the center. There are also a number of subjects to paint, or maybe even just a relaxing afternoon seated on the rock ledges looking over the water suffices. However, despite the abundance of outdoor activities, many LHS students would prefer to spend a sunny Sunday inside instead of appreciating the breath of fresh air Lincoln Woods provides. Perhaps understanding the history of the park will allow teen residents to appreciate the luxury of its close proximity a little bit more.
Lincoln Woods State Reservation is a pocket of serene peace five minutes away from the smallest state’s biggest city, Providence. Its origins begin on February 12th, 1909, the birthday of the very President it was named after. Considered “one of Blackstone Valley’s greatest treasures” as stated on the Rhode Island State Parks official website, the park boasts extensive hiking and mountain biking trails, a canoe rental station, a handicap accessible kayak and motorized boating dock, horseback riding trails, a summer snack bar near the lake, changing, bathroom, and showering facilities, 137 picnic tables, 134 fire pits, three sports fields, a gazebo, and a vigilant maintenance crew devoted to preserving the natural beauty of this century-old reservation. The park contains a central walkway orbiting the lake, also accessible by car.
Lincoln Woods was long considered the most grandiose of Rhode Island’s state parks until the establishment of Goddard Memorial state park in 1927. Located in the middle of several large cities and suburban areas, the continued efforts to restore and sustain the gentle forests of pre-agricultural North America in Lincoln Woods are reflected in the extended variety of oak, birch, and even sassafras trees lining the pleasant walkway orbiting Olney Pond. Scott Turner, a writer for the Providence Journal, commented in 2018 on the various tree species and provided historical thoughts to the nostalgic trails he had last walked ten years earlier.
“it was a pleasure to re-learn that it [Lincoln Woods] contained such attractive scenery, with the best views of shoreline rock outcrops occurring in the north and west quadrants around the pond…I noticed a prevalence of tall oaks, primarily, black, white and red…[The] sassafras twigs also grew in a twisty manner that reminded us of pretzels.”
The RI state park website provides a short description of the means of obtaining the land needed for the park, stating “…Lincoln Woods was acquired by purchase, gift, and condemnation of farmland and woodlots of the Olney, Arnold, Comstock, and Mitchell families of the Saylesville, Lonsdale, and Quinsnicket areas of Lincoln.” The initial seventy-one acres of land were purchased in 1908 from the Smith family of Franklin, Massachusetts, for $3,000. An additional 460 acres were purchased by 1910, including several smaller ponds congregated around the present-day Olney Pond. Additional land was purchased between 1910 and 1918, continuing to grow until its 21st-century size.
Kate Lohman, a northern Rhode Island resident who has been walking and jogging at Lincoln Woods through rain and shine for over a decade, shared a small piece of history she can proudly say she was a part of.
“I did a road race [at] the loop [which] is called the Les Pawson loop. [Les Pawson] was this amazing runner. I think he won the Boston Marathon three times, so they named that loop — the main road that we go around — after him. And years ago, they did this little road race [around the loop], and they may still do it. (I think it started in 1982 or something.) A friend of mine brought me there to run in this fun run that goes twice around — so five miles.”
The fascinating origins of how the loop obtained its name honor the legacy of a monumental Rhode Island long-distance runner who made the Ocean State proud in the Boston Marathon, winning in 1933, 1938, and 1941.
Lohman also shared countless stories of her experiences at Lincoln Woods, allowing her to connect with some of her old neighbors and make new friends along the way. She recalls a time when an elderly lady, presumably with dementia, needed help after slightly crashing her car, bonding with one of the frequent walkers over the incident. After naming several other ‘regulars,’ she narrated another encounter she had with a kind couple who drove her back to her car during a lightning storm. She fondly remembers the “vibrant” personality of the “dynamic” woman in her 70s, who used to hang up blackboards in the trees with inspirational messages written on them. Her tales are ones that could be shared by a much larger community, should more people decide to make the short trip to the state park.
Olney Pond, named after one of the previous owners of land that now makes up parts of Lincoln Woods, also has interesting beginnings. Although there were preexisting small bodies of water original to the native landscape, a larger, man-made central lake was created by textile mill dams built on the border of the Olney property. This dam resulted in the blockage of the small stream that flowed through the park, connecting it with surrounding springs to form the large lake featured in the center of the park. An additional historical mill, Manchester Print Works, also previously located at the edge of the park, was tested by poor luck, eventually burning down twice and blowing up due to a boiler malfunction.
One of the more long-lasting legacies of Lincoln Woods conservation efforts is the tribute to a man named Zachariah Allen, who theorized that “vacant land may be profitably improved by planting trees” and put his idea into practice through silviculture. He spent sixty-seven years attempting to grow trees on the park’s property, mainly for industrial and construction motives, but is considered the man who enabled the first “conscientious effort at inducing tree growth” in the country. He was eventually successful in gaining profit from trees grown in an unfrequented pasture deemed ‘useless’ because the soil had “lost fertility.” In addition, he showed the young industrialist nation of America as a whole that regrowing trees, despite the potentially lengthy process involved, is far more beneficial and fulfilling than simply cutting them all down.
The park is now a 627-acre conglomerate of woods, fields, and recreational areas. The Rhode Island state park website proudly boasts that it now serves as “a system of parks in and around Providence that would promote public health and recreation agendas,” as was intended by its original founders. More information regarding the history of Lincoln Woods can be found at riparks.ri.gov.
