Borderland State Park
| Borderland State Park | |
| Massachusetts State Forest | |
 Ames Mansion
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| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| State | Massachusetts |
| Counties | Bristol, Norfolk |
| Towns | Easton, Sharon |
| Elevation | 207 ft (63 m) |
| Coordinates | 42°04′03″N 71°09′13″W / 42.06750°N 71.15361°WCoordinates: 42°04′03″N 71°09′13″W / 42.06750°N 71.15361°W |
| Area | 1,843 acres (746 ha) |
| Established | 1971 |
| Management | Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation |
| - Visitors center | 259 Massapoag Avenue, North Easton |
 Location in Massachusetts
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| Website: Borderland State Park | |
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Borderland Historic District
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The creators of Borderland
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| Built | 1910 |
| Architect | Ames, Blanche Ames; Ames, Oakes |
| Architectural style | Late Gothic Revival, Georgian, Colonial Revival |
| NRHP Reference # | 97000497 |
| Added to NRHP | June 16, 1997 |
Borderland State Park is a history and nature preserve with public recreational features located in the towns of Easton and Sharon, Massachusetts. The state park encompasses 1,843 acres (746 ha) surrounding the Ames Mansion, which was built in 1910. The area was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as Borderland Historic District in 1997. It is operated by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, with an appointed advisory council that participates in policy decision-making.
In 1906, Oakes Ames, a Harvard botanist (son of Massachusetts governor Oliver Ames and grandson of U.S. Representative Oakes Ames), and his wife Blanche Ames Ames (daughter of Mississippi governor Adelbert Ames, but not related to Oakes Ames), an artist and feminist, purchased land on the border of Sharon and Easton. There they built a mansion which still stands and created a nature preserve with woodland paths and roadways and man-made ponds. The family’s home, a three-story, 20-room stone mansion constructed in 1910, was built largely at the direction of Blanche Ames. Her paintings still hang on the walls and much of the original furnishings are still intact. After remaining in the family for sixty-five years, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts acquired the Borderland estate in 1971, two years after the death of Blanche Ames, and opened it as a state park.
The park has more than 20 miles (32 km) of wooded trails for hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding. Trails include a portion of the Bay Circuit Trail and the Quarry Loop to Moyles Quarry (a.k.a. Canton Viaduct Quarry) which supplied the facing stone for the Canton Viaduct in 1835. The park features a visitors center, pond fishing and canoeing, ice skating, sledding, and disc golf. Mansion tours are offered on an occasional basis during warm weather months.
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Wikipedia