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BOWLING ALLEY
Phil Duffy: "There is an old 2-lane bowling alley in the basement of the Paper Store building. I remember talking to an old timer (at the Old Timer, of course) who said his brother was a pin-setter there." (Source)
CLINTON-LANCASTER-BOLTON AIRPORT
"According to an article by Graham Entwistle in the 10/30/98 issue of The Bolton Common (courtesy of Kevin LeCompte), a parcel of land on the south side of Wilder Road was acquired by the Balboni family in 1929. Zalmira Balboni started to use the land as an airstrip for his plane, and a deed recording the transfer of some of the land to him in April 1930 was the earliest reference which has been located which mentioned the Balboni Airport. In the following years, a shack for minor aircraft repairs was built at Balboni.
The Boston Chamber of Commerce's 1931 "Airports & Landing Fields of New England" (courtesy of Chris Kennedy) described the "Clinton-Lancaster-Bolton Airport" as being located 2 miles north of Clinton. The field was said to have two 1,400' grass runways, and the operator was listed as Amilio Balboni. The Airport Directory Company's 1933 Airport Directory (according to Chris Kennedy) listed a "Clinton" Airport, 2 miles north of the town of Clinton. It was described as having two 1,500' sod runways, oriented north/south & east/west.
"Clinton" was depicted as an auxiliary airfield on the 1935 Regional Aeronautical Chart. By the end of the 1930s, Balboni was described as an active airport with a single grass runway. However, The Airport Directory Company's 1938 Airport Directory (according to Chris Kennedy) did not list any airfields in either Clinton or Bolton.
The April 1944 US Army/Navy Directory of Airfields (courtesy of Ken Mercer) confusingly listed a "Balboni" Airport in Bolton & a "Bolton" Airport in Clinton. Both were described as having a 1,400' unpaved runway, so were these actually the same field?" (Source)
DUCK HARBOR CANAL
Phil Duffy: "In Duck Harbor, old survey maps of the Clinton Company Mills on Main Street (later, the Bigelow Carpet Mills) show that a canal used to run from coachlace pond to the mill. This canal was situated between Main street and the present alignment of Counterpane Brook. While it may have just been a trough in the ground, it'd be interesting to see if there are any remains of a canal wall." (Source)
Bill Connolly: "Those granite blocks Phil mentioned continue all along that end of the pond, they used to have a pipe railing on top. I grew up in that area & never saw any indication of the canal that appears on the map." (Source)
"Deputy Dog": "I have an original 1870's map taken from an Atlas by F.W. Beers and it shows a canal. It is labeled "FEEDING CANAL" and starts at a gate house at Duffy Park and runs parallel to Main Street and ends at a second gate house across from Pleasant Street. It feeds Bigelow"s Spinning Mills. This was before the bridge connected Woodlawn Street to Main Street. Woodlawn Street stopped at the tracks." (Source)
HOUSE AT DUNCANSON'S GROVE (View a photo of the house)
Adjacent to the entrance to the old town dump lies the remains on an old house that at one point probably had a grand view of South Meadow Pond. A clothesline still stands in the front yard and a garden hose is attached to an outside spigot. The house not that far from the road, but is quite hidden from view due to overgrowth and its low lying location. To find it, park at the entrance to the old dump, next to the steel buildings. Looking at the buildings, follow the fence line around to the left. Keep following the fence until you drop down a small hill. You should be able to see the house across a clearing directly in front of you. Please be aware that if you visit, you will be on private property. No Trespassing signs are posted on the house. Explore at your own risk.
"Tinkertoys": "On a "historical trivia" note, does anyone remember that little house set way back beside the entrance to the old Duncanson's Grove? I think it's still there--way back behind all the overgrown brush. It would probably be easier to see today by going into the old landfill road and taking a sharp right." (Source)
"Jigg": "That's still there, very run down and sitting on the red water, but still there." (http://www.clintonmass.com/forum/viewto … 7971Source)
"Tinkertoys": "The house I'm thinking of is on the left side of the road coming from the railroad tracks and between the old dump entrance and the new and improved "Duncanson's Grove" entrance. It's way back behind thick brush but it WAS a small house and I think someone lived there at one time--and I think it's still there." (Source)
LAKEVIEW FIELD
"Tinkertoys": "One of the most popular ball fields in Clinton history still sits there, now looking more like a forest than a field. Nestled right across the street from the Joe Duffy Memorial Park on New Harbor Road sits the Lakeview Field - or at least what's left of it.
I remember in the 1960s that Lakeview was still a fairly popular place for a neighborhood ball game. I also remember some truckloads of fill being deposited there and it seems like a forest just grew up all around it, almost overnight. Of course, "overnight" to a history buff was 40 to 50 years ago.
I don't know if home plate is still there or the remnants of that "new" flagpole still remain (in left field) - but the sun has certainly set on Lakeview Field, one of the most popular baseball fields in Clinton not so long ago." (Source)
THE LOVE HOUSE (View a photo of the foundation)
"Tinkertoys": "How about the old Love house/barn on the Clinton/Sterling line in the reservoir area? Just go out Rt. 110 to Chace Hill Road in Sterling - that's the road to Rota Springs Ice Cream! Park there where all the fishermen park and walk across the street to the MDC road (which is really just an extension of the original Chace Hill Road) That old road is now busy with bulldozers for some reason. Follow the road until it curves down the hill and levels off - on your left near the waters of the resi will be a huge foundation--you can walk right into it - a family by the name of Love once lived there. The remains of a huge barn they owned are even closer to the water but further down the road - it must have been a huge complex in its day. The size of some of the stones in the foundation are unbelieveable!! Remember you're on MDC/DCR property, probably in Sterling but fairly close to the Clinton line." (Source)
MASONIC LODGE (View a photo of the lodge's temple)
There is an abandoned Masonic Lodge on the top floor of 77 High Street (above Sovereign Bank). During my first visit, the entire floor was accessible to the public. On a return visit on August 25, 2006, the lodge was locked up tight. I am told that someone at Sovereign Bank (which owns the building) has the keys, although this has not been verified. (Initial information provided by Joel Frisch)
RAILROAD STATION (View a photo of the cellar hole)
"Tinkertoys": "Here's the easiest way to find it: heading out of town on Rt. 110, look for the first gate on the RIGHT after the new Clinton cemetery. It is very overgrown but it is clearly a gate - it should be just before the large open field and the State Tree Nursery. Go straight down that path until you hit the railroad tracks - the same ones that cross South Meadow Road. Suddenly you will be standing on asphalt! There will be a very small brick foundation (some say there was a complete cellar!) - that's the old railroad station that once sat between the railroad lines - when you look back toward Clinton you'll have current RR tracks on the left and the old path (once another RR line) that runs behind the current cemetery (and used to run behind Clinton High School). Be on the lookout for poison ivy." (Source)
This is the site of the former Clinton Junction station, where the Central Massachusetts Railroad and the Worcester, Nashua & Portland Railroad intersected.
QUARRY AT RATTLESNAKE HILL
Phil Duffy: "There apparently used to be a quarry at the top of Rattlesnake Hill. A couple of weeks ago, Bev Rice gave me permission to walk on her property in order to take photos of Lancaster Mills, While walking across a narrow stone ridge, I noticed steel pins driven into the ledge, and that the west face of this ridge was steeply cleft. Bob Latini tells me his grandfather used to raise goats up there." (Source)
QUARRY ADJACENT TO OLD TOWN DUMP (View a photo of the quarry)
Bill Connolly: "How about the old quarry above the Rifle Range, I remember being told Bird Roofing owned it & used the material for roofs in Boston. You could check out the target pits at the rifle range on your way up to the quarry. They were a concrete bunker buried behind the backstop at the range. All thats left is the concrete walls." (Source)
Bill Connolly: "Access to the rifle range is easier thru the gate at the old dump road. The gate is set up for pedestrian access, you just go around the side, its a 5 min. walk in. You do need to wade across a small stream, its very shallow & sometimes there is a plank across it. The path over to the rifle range target pits is on the right as you go up the road to the quarry." (Source)
ROLLER RINK
The top floor of the O'Toole Block on Main Street, the building that currently houses the Crystal Cafe, was the former home of a roller rink. In 2005, the space was renovated into apartments, and it is unknown whether any traces of the rink remain. (Information provided by John Kittredge)
STUMP HILL SHOOTING RANGE/MILITARY GROUNDS (View a photo of the shooting range)
"Tinkertoys": "How about the old shooting range/military grounds on Stump Hill? Go down Water Street, past the ball fields, go by the "broken" condo project, and over the "broken" bridge" and aim left up Bolton Road; there's a gate immediately on the left side after the bridge. When you walk into that gate just follow the old road with the Nashua River on your left. It will open up into a large field straight ahead--in that field -- all overgrown now--is the old "fort" -- a mechanized shooting/target area--from a small stone foundation, members of Company K (Spanish-American War and WWI) would pull these big metal handles and targets would pop up in the field against the high embankment--they say if you dig into the embankment, you'll find plenty of old lead bullets. This whole area is known as Stump Hill." (Source)
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