Pigeon Hill Pinnacle at Appleton Farms
Posted by: 
bctrail
N 42° 38.700 W 070° 51.678
19T E 347415 N 4723073
A pinnacle removed from Gore Hall at Harvard University prior to demolition ca 1912, now located on Appleton Farms in Ipswich, Massachusetts, and dedicated to Francis R Appleton, Jr (1885-1974).
Waymark Code: WM6DAH
Location: Massachusetts, United States
Date Posted: 05/16/2009
Views: 8
This pinnacle was removed from Gore Hall (the library) at Harvard University about 1912. Gore Hall was to be demolished to make room for the new Widener Library [Sound familiar? some things never change]. Four pinnacles were given to Francis R Appleton, Sr, the library chairman at that time. They are nine feet tall (not including the base), and are made of Quincy (MA) granite. See the gallery for a photo of Gore Hall.
These pinnacles have been erected around the former Appleton family estate in Hamilton and Ipswich, Massachusetts. Each pinnacle is dedicated to the memory of a family member. The property, now owned by The Trustees of Reservations (TTOR), consists of
Appleton Farms (658 acres) and the
Appleton Farms Grass Rides (259 acres).
This, the last pinnacle to be erected, is located on the broad open crest of beautiful, peaceful Pigeon Hill, near the south side of the "Great Pasture". The views are magnificent. A fence surrounds a short spur trail to the pinnacle, so that visitors will not disturb the cattle (they rarely frequent this area). The pinnacle is dedicated to Francis R Appleton, Jr (1885-1974).
The first pinnacle to be erected is located at
Round Point in the Grass Rides, and is dedicated to Charles L Appleton (1886-1921), the brother of Francis R Appleton, Jr.
The second pinnacle to be erected is located in
Long Meadow and is dedicated to Francis R Appleton, Sr (1854-1929), the father of Francis R Appleton, Jr.
The third pinnacle to be erected is waymarked as
Fourth Pinnacle.
It is dedicated to Fanny L Appleton (1864-1958), mother of Francis R Appleton, Jr.
There are two additional waymarks along the stonewall nearby. They mark points on the boundary line between the towns of Hamilton and Ipswich. They are
HI-09 (WM6CJX), about 0.1 mile northwest, and
HI-10 (WM6CHZ), about 100 yards south.
This pinnacle is also the center, or anchor, of the
Lucky 7 at Appleton Farms.
All the pinnacles can be reached by well maintained trails from either of the two visitor parking areas: one on
Highland Street just north of the Cutler Road intersection, and one at
the corner of Waldingfield Road and Route 1A. Be sure to get a trail map, either from the web sites above, or at the parking area. There are many more waymarks on the Farms property. See the "Nearest Waymarks" link near the bottom of this page. There are also at least four geocaches. Enjoy the "Farms". Its a great place to visit.