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Prospect Park LbNA #26019

Owner:Mim
Plant date:Sep 30, 2006
Location:
City:Shrewsbury
County:Worcester
State:Massachusetts
Boxes:2
Found by: Sagacorn (2)
Last found:Apr 25, 2020
Status:FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFOF
Last edited:Sep 9, 2018
Time: 45 min

Directions: From the center of Shrewsbury go north on Rt 140. Take your first right onto Prospect St. The entrance to the park is a short way down this road on the left. Drive through the stone pillars that mark the entrance and park.

Background: Prospect Park is situated on land that was once part of Juniper Hall, the estate of Matthew J. Whittall, a manufacturer of fine carpets and rugs. Check out the photos, in the kiosk, of the estate as it was in 1912. The building was razed in 1979 after being used as a Masonic hospital. Some of Whittall's manufacturing buildings now house Rotman's furniture store in Worcester.

Clues: Before the gray closed metal gate, take the trail on the right in front of the 2 benches. You will pass around a gorgeous big old fir tree standing in the middle of the path. Continue on. A paved trail will merge in from the right. Take a left onto this trail. You are now walking on the old service road of the estate.

Now it gets dicey. The garden has been unattended long enough for the vegetation to take over. Bring your machete.

Continue walking uphill until you come to a path to a clearing on the left. Walk in and look for any part of a stone wall on the right. Go to the wall. You are entering the ruins of the formal gardens of the estate. With much effort at exploration you will see the pergola and the reflecting pool. Unfortunately, they have also been discovered and continually vandalized by our local youths. Back to the wall. Good luck in finding the stairs in the center of the wall. Go up these and walk forward until there is an embankment or wall in front of you. Go left along this. Soon a large stone retaining wall will be on your right. The house sat on the land above this wall.

The path to the box is now blocked by debris. So, to go around the debris, go to the end of the retaining wall, turn left, walk in a bit, and look over to the left. Through the brush you should see the walk that you want to go to. Go there. Don't get onto the walk. Look at the corner, where the semi circular portion of the wall joins the flat portion. Under a rock is the Garden of Remembrance letterbox. There is no log book in this box. Please re-hide well.

Go back to the paved trail the way you came.

Once back on the paved trail go left, continuing uphill. At the paved area veer right and continue up.

Walk on the path between the 2 water towers. Before you reach the main paved road heading downhill, see a path on the right heading down hill into the woods. Take that. Enjoy walking downhill. After a while you will see a house on the right and the road ahead. Take the trail to the left. Walk down this rocky path and through ferny undergrowth. A large oak tree will appear to be in the path with a large boulder to its left. Stand with your back to the large tree and the road. Look uphill. The Prospect Park letterbox is behind the triangular rock under some sticks and leaves. Please re-hide well.

Continue forward on the path. You'll cross over a wooden bridge, and then come to the main driveway for the estate. Take a right onto this and soon you'll be back at your car.