Railroad History
The old Fairhaven Branch Railroad was conceived by a few local businessmen
and a charter was granted in 1849. The mission was to build a spur line
off the Cape Cod Branch Railroad's mainline at a place in Wareham called
Tremont. The grand vision of the line was to bring passengers to and
from New Bedford via a connecting railroad owned ferry at the end of
the line in Fairhaven. After gathering the necessary financial backers
which included both the Cape Cod Branch Railroad and the Old Colony
Railroad, construction started in 1852.
In 1853, construction started in earnest when 100 Irish men were brought
in to do the heavy bull work of grading the right of way and preparing
the ground for the track. The original rail, by the way, was manufactured
in Great Britain and arrived by steamer. This not uncommon because the
American steel industry was still in its infancy and rail was not manufactured
to the same standards of quality that British steel was.
The inaugural run of the railroad was launched in September 1854 with
a good sized crowd of around 200 on hand. In twelve days over 3000 patrons
had used the line and connecting ferry to New Bedford. But trouble lied
ahead with a series of series of arson fires that burned down the terminal
and company offices in Fairhaven three times in five years. By 1859,
the company built a more permanent structure out of brick, (and I'm
sure posted night watchmen).
Both the passenger and freight traffic realized on the line never really
met expectations and both the Old Colony and the Cape Cod Railroad sold
out their interests to the New Bedford & Taunton Railroad who also
proceeded to run it unsuccessfully so they sold it back to the Old Colony
in 1879.
One bright spot was that one of the more famous passenger trains of
the gilded age ran on this line. The Dude, (which divided at
Tremont where a section also ran to Woods Hole–see chapter 15),
was the premier name train in New England. Two of the more interesting
quirks about the Dude, was that:
- It was unadvertised to the general public. Only the wealthy rode
this train and in fact they paid the entire cost of the train up front
with a "season-ticket" type of arrangement.
- If no passengers wanted to get off at the intermediary stops, the
train did not stop till the end of the line. This was kind of the
opposite of a flag-stop station where the train never stopped
at a station unless the flag was displayed by a waiting passenger
who wanted to board.
In March 1893, the entire Old Colony Railroad was swallowed up by the
New Haven system. In the 1920s with the coming of the automobile and
improved highways, the New Haven began to look very closely at branch
lines that weren't profitable.
In 1929, the New Haven tore down the passenger terminal on the wharf
at the end of the line in Fairhaven. It was said that the town was very
angry at this unannounced project and from then on out, the New Haven
was not highly thought of in Fairhaven. (The NH never was a fan of the
ferry operation between Fairhaven and New Bedford and it was suggested
that they tore to station down to facilitate the demise of passenger
service.)
The New Haven ran freight operations with declining fortunes and tried
a couple of times in the 1940s to end service and abandon the Fairhaven
Branch, but vocal shipper protests prevented this. By this time the
only shippers of any consequence were the fisheries on the wharf, the
Atlas Tack Company and a small oil dealer. It wasn't until 1953 when
NH tried to abandon again and this time, the ICC formally granted the
abandonment all the way back to a point just short of the junction at
Tremont.
Trail History
In 1954 the Town of Fairhaven acquired their section from the New Haven
Railroad and it sat dormant for many years hence as an unofficial hiking
/ biking trail.
In 1973 planning began to create a formal bicycle path along the 3.5
mile line all the way to the town line with Mattapoisett. In May of
1996 the town approved an expenditure of $28,000 towards the design
of the trail. In 1998 the state approved $633,000 in ISTEA Funding to
construct it.
A community embraces its new bike path: When I came through
to catalog this trail on April 10, 1999, I saw a sight which made me
long to have more film in my camera. At 9:30 on a gloomy Saturday morning,
I saw about a dozen men, women, and children armed with litter pick-up
spike sticks, starting out to clean the trail. That was a heartwarming
sight to see because the trail wasn't even officially open yet, but
here were the citizens taking ownership of the trail and making sure
that it stays a community asset rather than an eyesore it used to be
before it opened. This was a great sign of good things to come.
Fairhaven's Phoenix Bike Path was formally opened with great fanfare
on April 24 1999, and I'm sure this will become the best loved and most
used park in town.
Local History
Every place in America has a claim to fame and Fairhaven is no different.
The Gold Bond Powder Company came to town in 1912 when the principals
of the company were looking for a "clean and spotless" town
to set up their manufacturing plant. They took the concept of a secret
process very seriously and did not let anyone in the building during
the mixing process which combined the secret ingredients. This company
was a mainstay in town until the early 1980s when they moved to a larger
site in Rhode Island.
Since you are in Fairhaven, it would make sense to try and visit the
Fort Phoenix Beach State Reservation. This is located about six blocks
further south along Fort Street which is one block east of Main Street.
It has many paved paths for biking and roller-blading.
This bucolic area was the site of a Revolutionary War attack by British
forces in 1778. They captured and burned the fort and then turned their
attention to the village of Fairhaven, but were repelled by local militia.
The British then left the area.
During the Civil War, Fort Phoenix was rebuilt and reactivated with
a full complement of troops to repel a feared Confederate attack. It
was a common local concern that New Bedford and adjacent Fairhaven would
be attractive targets for the raider ships of the Confederacy. No attack
ever came, but the fort was active for the duration of the conflict.
In the late 1800s the entire area was a recreational destination with
some elaborate bath houses and pavilions, but the Fort itself fell into
disrepair.
In 1960 the state of Massachusetts acquired the site for a state park.
One local man, Donald Bernard, played a key role in the resurrection
and the restoration of the Fort when one day his daughter asked if was
a real fort because she couldn't find much written about it. His curiosity
peaked, he spent hundreds of hours of research which culminated in a
book called Tower of Strength, A History of Fort Phoenix. It
is a tribute to the character of a man who kept looking for answers.
The trail was named for this Fort that so closely parallels the town's
heart and character.
Bike Path Description
0.0 miles: At the parking lot and looking to the west, you will
see the site of the old Ferry Wharf and Passenger Station. Today it
is an industrial area with repair shops catering to the commercial fishing
industry. Heading off to the east you will see the trail before you.
As you cross Main Street, look for the benches and bike rack for trail
users. Shortly ahead on the left will be Willow Park which has interesting
Daffodil arrangements planted for spring appearances. Just beyond Willow
Park are some beautifully restored antique houses.
0.3-0.5 miles: Grade crossing of Chestnut Street and looming
before you is the old Atlas Tack Company. This is one of those old smokestack
industries that were common to many towns and cities all over New England.
They provided much employment and economic development to the host communities,
but they were not without their drawbacks. In years gone by the environmental
concerns weren't the same as today and in many places these old industries
were the scene of dumping of hazardous chemicals. Atlas Tack Company
is one of those old "brownfields". It is a contaminated site
and is totally fenced off. As you pass by you will notice that parts
are being (or have been already) torn down. The remediation of the polluted
ground at this site will be a long term project so you will see some
activity here for some time to come. Located directly across the trail
from Atlas is a "graveyard" or wrecking yard for boats. You'll
see some models here that aren't seen anymore. This company also does
marine repairs.
1.0 miles: A large rip-rap (huge boulders) structure is coming
in from the right. This is a Hurricane control structure built in the
late thirties to protect the town from the storm surge that accompanies
a major Hurricane.
1.5 miles: The road coming in from the left is David Drown Blvd.
You will be passing by the Carousel Skating Center on the left. I wonder
how long it will be before they start renting roller-blades to trail
users. Just ahead will be a major road crossing so be careful.
1.6 miles: Grade crossing of Sconticut Neck Road. This is a
busy road so take appropriate caution when crossing. In this area you
can find restaurants and general services of all sorts. One of the closest
places is the Sconticut Retail Center, so check it out if you are inclined.
Just after the road you will be into a cut and then the approach road
for the DPW facility will be encountered. It is interesting to note
that the original railroad RoW is actually the driveway for the DPW
while the trail is now on the side. This location is also the beginning
of an adjacent 4 foot gravel surface treadway. This makes for a good
surface for equestrians who try to stay off of pavement with their horses.
1.7 miles: You'll head into a wetlands area with a series of
pressure treated fences when viewed from a distance give an unusual
perspective along this straight-as-an-arrow trail. These fences are
on culverts which allow the tidal water of the Nasketucket River to
flow under the trail or are placed on parts of the fill which are unusually
steep.
1.9 miles: Old greenhouse complex on the north side of the trail
is looking pretty ragged though it does shows signs that someone is
starting to fix it up. Looking to the south you can see the ocean at
Little Bay.
2.2 miles: A smattering of newly constructed houses along the
trail points to people who appreciate living along a trail.
2.5 miles: Grade crossing of what seems to be a driveway leading
to a few houses on the south side of the trail. A few streets containing
residential neighborhoods come in from the north in this area. Look
for the old railroad era culvert in this area as well.
2.7 miles: Up hill to a grade crossing of Gillette Road. There
obviously used to be a bridge over the railroad at one time, but it
has been long ago torn out.
2.8 miles: Old farm field on the south side of the trail has
a stone wall boundary that surrounds some barn and other outbuildings.
3.0 miles: Woods to the north with farm fields to the south
with another view of the ocean in this area. This area also has newly
constructed houses near the trail.
3.2 miles: Grade crossing of Shaw Road. Once on the other side
of the road you will see that the original Row of the railroad is badly
flooded and in a cut. The trail continues east on the south embankment
of the cut. It is not very often this is seen and it is refreshing have
a simple yet creative answer to the common problem on rail-trails. What
to do in the situation where a road bridge used to cross over the railroad
but has long since been filled in creating a poorly drained Row
3.3 miles: Finished trail ends here, but you can see that the
original Row continues east in an unofficial and unpaved way. It is
not open beyond here, but there are plans to develop a trail all the
way to Wareham eventually.
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