A Walk Through the Parklands
The Lookout
The Lookout, known years ago as Darling Hill, is located in the part of the Parklands that is west of the G&U tracks. You can reach it by a path that goes up from the main Parklands road and crosses the railroad tracks, or by a ten minute walk along the path that begins at the end of Overdale Parkway. To reach the Lookout from the west side of Hopedale Pond, take the side path described on Parklands Walk, page 4. You’ll soon come to a fork. Take path to the left. When you get to the tracks, you’ll see the path going up the hill on the other side. It’s shown in the picture below. A few more minutes will bring you to the Lookout.
The picture titled Park Shelter, Darling Hill is from an early town report. Because there were so few trees then, the view was better than now. The Park Department history reports that the shelter was built in 1908 for $311.48. The road that became Overdale Parkway, and the extension to the Lookout, was built in 1916-17. The shelter was repaired in 1923 and rebuilt in 1929. In the mid-1960s, Hopedale Boy Scout Troop 1, built five Adirondack cabins in the area,(bottom picture) with lumber supplied by Draper Corporation and nails provided by Hopedale Hardware. Within five or ten years, they had all been burned down.
The 1917 Report of the Park Commissioners stated that Great Blue Hill, among other places, could be seen from the Lookout. It that still true? Click here to see what I found.
Next Page – The Saltbox Road Area
Click on the picture of the cabin to go to a page with more photos of them.
