Lancaster, A "Rich" Town

Live "Rich"
by Jonathan Clark

If you drove through Lancaster, you wouldn't think it was a rich town.  You won't see high end real estate, expensive cars, nor will you see any places to shop down town.  There aren't many luxurious accommodations in Lancaster, so what makes it so rich?  Lancaster is rich with great people, fantastic natural scenery, and a community vibe that not even Bill Gates could reproduce in his $120 million compound.  It takes time and good people to build a strong community.  If you are the self-important pretentious type, you may not find much desire to live in Lancaster although you would surely be welcomed.  This town isn't known for it's lustful green lawns with Greek statues. There aren't any six car garages packing BMW's, the work's of Monet, and 100 bottles of wine from Tuscany.  Most home owners in Lancaster let nature do the decorating.

The people of Lancaster spend their Saturday's at cookouts and fairs, not traveling to different home improvement stores and fancy restaurants.  Every Memorial day, friends and neighbors gather at homes

Memorial Day Butterfly at the Locke's cookout

in the center of town to celebrate our fallen military service members.  Almost anybody is welcome to stop by because almost everybody knows and has a familiar face.  There are many different events in Lancaster where neighbors come together.  Lancaster's annual Horse Shed Fair is held next to the Bulfinch Church.  It's a small fair where people can showcase their handmade crafts and find all kinds of homemade goods.  All Summer long there is the Farmer's market where you can go and buy the freshest locally grown produce there is.  Every Friday night at Kimball Farm on Lunenburg Road, you can bring the family out for ice cream and check out classic cars and hot rods.  Murph's Hot Dog stand located at Bartlett Pond seems to be a hot spot for everyone traveling through Lancaster.  If you need to find a police officer, you can always find one at Murph's.

Lancaster is the "rich" town for anyone to be apart of.  It's ideal for raising a family, or raising chickens.  A Town like Lancaster shows that it takes a good bunch of people with imperfect values to form a well knit community.


“Every child should have mud pies, grasshoppers, water bugs, tadpoles, frogs, mud turtles, elderberries, wild strawberries, acorns, chestnuts, trees to climb. Brooks to wade, water lilies, woodchucks, bats, bees, butterflies, various animals to pet, hayfields, pine-cones, rocks to roll, sand, snakes, huckleberries and hornets; and any child who has been deprived of these has been deprived of the best part of education.” 
― Luther Burbank ( Born in Lancaster )

Horse Stalls used as shops at Lancaster's Horse Shed Fair

Dexter Drumlin

Dexter Drumlin: A Natural Formation of Tranquility

By Jonathan Clark


Contained within the heart of Lancaster lies the Dexter Drumlin, a hill that was formed over 10,000 years ago by a glacier.  The Dexter Drumlin is part of a 35 acre reservation that is saturated with lush meadows, hay fields, and wet lands. This typical New England terrain shares it's boundary with the historic Nashua River.

Dexter Drumlin in Lancaster, MA

If you live in Lancaster, you have probably spent some time experiencing the beautiful views and the recreational activities provided by this reservation.  It's a great spot for picnics, hiking, mountain biking, and cross country skiing.  I remember sledding there when I was a kid. When there was a snowstorm,  families all over Lancaster would bring the sleds and snow tubes for some great fun.  It's a long trek up in the snow, but it is well worth the effort.

The Dexter Drumlin is a great destination for all four seasons.  In the Fall, you get a fantastic 360 degree view of the beautiful New England foliage.  When you look to the East you see the banks of the Nashua River that lead into the thick green forest.  Oak, Maple, and Ash trees seem to stand out as if they were strategically placed for picture perfect landscaping.  During the Spring there is a presence full of new life, with trees budding, flowers blooming, and wildlife thriving.  Butterflies take to the skies and put on a great showcase of nature's brilliant design.  Winter provides a white tundra with a mix of snow covered brush that illustrates the depth of it's vastness.  The deep snowy tracks of various wildlife tell of their quests to find food.  In the middle of a hot New England day you can find refuge atop the hill when the soothing winds blow.

I remember trekking to the hill from a friend's house a good distance away.  Starting at the center of town we would head down a short path into a wide open hay field. The grass was tall depending on the time of year, but we would cut a path along the treeline for easy access.  After making our way through the field we would follow a wooded path to a sandy embankment of the Nashua River.  There are paths all through the woods and they are well maintained.  There was a large fallen tree that we carefully walked across, sometimes it was damp and we had to straddle across using the "bear hug" technique.  Across the river was a steep bank that entered into a massive lush green meadow.  It was a challenge to get up the bank because it was almost completely vertical and the shrubs and branches would sometimes give out when pulled on.  The top of Dexter Drumlin was in sight and just a few minutes away.  I remember lying there and looking up at the clouds feeling a euphoric sense of tranquility.  I'ts also a great spot to check out on a clear Summer night. You get an awesome view of the night sky and you can hear all different kinds of insects and animals come to life.

Lancaster's Bulfinch Church to the East

This Trustees of Reservations is a member-supported nonprofit conservation organization that preserves reservations like this one all across Massachusetts. Check out the link.

http://www.thetrustees.org/places-to-visit/central-ma/dexter-drumlin.html

The Dexter Drumlin is just one of the places in Lancaster that makes it so great.  There are many other hidden treasures in Lancaster if your willing to be adventurous.  I have had the pleasure of seeing other great places in Lancaster, sometimes discovering places accidentally.  A good starting point is in the northern part of town.  Take a rafting trip down the Nashua River and get a free tour of Lancaster's natural charm.   

  

The Locke Forge

Locke Forge: The Tale of Matthew Locke 

It's not every day that you would find a scrap piece of metal and forge it into a sword.  Most of us wouldn't know where to begin.  But for Lancaster native Matthew Locke, forging a sword is second nature.

Mathew Locke was born in Lancaster in 1986, he has lived in the center of town his entire life.  At a young age he was usually building something or drawing pictures.  He has always been fascinated with the Medieval ages in Europe.  His artistic ability was apparent at a very young age.  He had a realism style of drawing and would usually draw scenes of knights, dragons, and castles.  He always used pencil but would rarely have to use the eraser.

He is a skilled craftsman in a number of different areas.  He works with wood, leather, copper, and steel. He designed and built a workshop a few years ago that has an impressive artistic look and also a working forge.

The Lock Forge: Designed and built by Matthew Locke

It took Matt 3 months to build his workshop, no detail was spared.  Pretty much everything was custom built, from the window frames, to the smoke stack reaching almost 30 feet into the sky.  He dug the foundation by hand and mixed over 100 bags of concrete and transported it by wheelbarrow.

I recently visited Matt Locke at Circle B Inc., a barn company located in Lancaster where Matt is the foreman of the metal shop.  He was generous enough to spare some time so I could ask him a few questions.

Me: What do you like about living in Lancaster?

Matthew Locke

Matthew:  What I like about Lancaster... It's been here since 1653, you can feel the history.  It's a comfortable place to live.

Me:  If you could go back in time as far as you want in the history of Lancaster, what would you want to be?

Matthew:  If I could go back in time and be anybody, I would like to be the Blacksmith in Lancaster when it first started.

Me:  Can you tell me about Circle B, the company you work for now?

Matthew:  This building was built by my great grandfather Horan Collins back in the 50's.  His company was Collins Hulled Corn.  Circle B has been building horse barns for over ten years.

During his free time, Matthew also fabricates custom iron railings, decorative pieces, and smokers.  He is also the Lancaster town clock winder.

Matthew is always building and forging new things, check out his progress on Facebook.

https://www.facebook.com/LockeForge