Rhododendron State Park - Fitzwilliam, NH - State/Provincial Parks on Waymarking.com

Rhododendron State Park is named after the 16-acre grove of Rhododendron Maximum, which is the focal point of the park. A 0.6 mile-long universally accessible trail encircles the grove allowing visitors to observe, close up, the fragrant clusters of pink blossoms as they burst into bloom in mid-July.
A wildflower trail, winds through the forest adjacent to the grove. From early spring to the first frost, wildflowers bloom throughout the 2,723-acre park. The last blooms in the fall are complemented by the forest's brilliant foliage. Visitors exploring the trails are often serenaded by song birds which live in the grove.
The rhododendron grove, which is the largest in northern New England, was designated a National Natural Landmark in 1982.

Source: (visit link)

Park Type: Day use Activities: Picnic Snowshoeing Hiking Environment learning Park Fees: $4 Adults Background: Captain Samuel Patch settled in the town of Fitzwilliam on the land surrounding the rhododendron stand in 1788. He or his son, Sam Jr., built the family cottage, affectionately known as the “Old Patch Place,” sometime between 1790 and 1816. In 1901 a subsequent owner, Levi Fuller, planned to “lumber off” the property. In reaction to this threat to the rhododendrons, Miss Mary Lee Ware of Boston (and Rindge, NH) purchased the land. She gave it to the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) in 1903 with the stipulation that the rhododendron grove and pine forest “...be held as a reservation property protected and open to the public....forever.” The AMC remodeled the “Old Patch Place” as a hostel/clubhouse adjacent to the Metacomet Trail which they had established. The building was ideally located to offer hospitality and shelter. When the operation of a hostel was no longer possible, the AMC transferred the property to the N.H. Division of Parks and Recreation. Since 1946, the property has been operated as the State Park system’s only designated botanical park. The “Old Patch Place” cottage near the park entrance was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980 Source: http://www.nhstateparks.org/uploads/RhododendronStatePark_History_2010.pdf Date Established?: 1946 Link to Park: [Web Link] Additional Entrance Points: Not Listed

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Date Logged Log   07/10/2017 DougK wrote comment for it