The Indian Head River
Once used lightly in its free-flowing state by Native Americans for transportation and sustenance, the Indian Head River saw major changes and heavy alterations as European colonists and the Industrial Revolution moved in. Now that the river is no longer required to serve the needs of industry, we are helping to usher it back into a gentler era, through conservation, recreation, restoration, and reconnection.
#LetOurRiversFlow
Prologue
Imagine you are a river herring. You are an anadromous fish , meaning you were born in fresh water, but swam downstream and spent your whole life in the ocean until it was time for you to return to spawn in the same place where you were born. There are millions of fish just like you, and you move in a large group, called a school. You are a vital part of the food chain and ecosystem. The rivers are your passageways back and forth between the large ocean where you live now, and the smaller ponds and lakes where you grew up, and where you will return to breed. You and your ancestors have been performing this ritual from time immemorial, long before humans became your terrestrial neighbors...
Chapter One: Indigenous Era
The Indian Head River (blue), which is located on the ancestral lands of the Mattakeeset Massachuseuk people, links Factory Pond (yellow) to the Atlantic Ocean via the North River (green). It arises from a series of smaller waterways upstream, is fortified by several brooks along its 3.7-mile length, and finally joins with Herring Brook to create the 12-mile North River, which empties into the Atlantic Ocean.
An Indian Head River Trail sign that provides background information about the Mattakeeset people
Prior to European colonization, these waterways flowed freely all the way from their headwaters to the ocean. Native fish including river herring, shad, eels, brook trout, pickerel, perch, striped bass, and even salmon were so plentiful that they gave the nearby village its name – Mattakeeset, meaning “place of many fish.” The Massachuseuk people, along with their Wampanoag neighbors, lived in harmony with the riverine ecosystem for thousands of years, using it for ceremonies, travel, and fishing. If you were a river herring during this era, you might swim upstream furtively, hoping to slip past indigenous fishermen. Some of you might get harvested with gratitude for food, celebrations, and agriculture, but many more of you would make it upstream to fortify future generations.
An Indian Head River Trail sign that provides information about some of the fish of the Indian Head River
Chapter Two: Industrial Era
The arrival of European colonists ushered in a busy new era for the Indian Head River. Colonists brought with them a different philosophy regarding how they interacted with the natural world, and the river was looked upon as a powerful force to be harnessed for industry, via the building of dams. If you were a river herring trying to swim up to your spawning grounds during this era, you would notice that the journey became substantially more difficult by the early 1700s.
Moving upstream from ocean to pond, the first manmade obstacle you would run into is known today as the Ludden’s Ford Dam. The first iteration of this dam was built in 1693 to support a saw and grist mill, and in 1703, an iron works was added. The dam was placed near the site of a 1632 river crossing performed by James Ludden, a local guide who carried Governor John Winthrop of the Massachusetts Bay Colony across the river to visit Governor William Bradford of Plymouth Colony.
Following the iron works, a number of industries took advantage of this dam site, including Curtis Anchor Forge (1791), another grist mill (1832), a carding mill (1839), and finally the Clapp Rubber Company (1873).
This plaque is located on the bridge at Ludden's Ford, and contains a list of the industries present at this site during the Industrial Era. Due to a historical spelling mistake, the area was formerly known as Luddam's Ford.
The Clapp Rubber Company was sort of an early adopter of recycling – their method processed and reclaimed old rubber and prepared it so that it could be made into new rubber goods. It was the largest factory of its kind back then, and eventually expanded to both sides of the river.
Background image: a historical rendering of the Clapp Rubber Factory, courtesy of Briggs's History of Shipbuilding on the North River
Today, the most recent iteration of the Ludden’s Ford Dam, built in 1906, still stands, despite being obsolete since 1934.
Moving upstream, the next obstacle you would encounter if you were an industrial-era herring would be the Waterman Dam . This popular site was home to multiple industrial usages, starting with a carding mill where wool was prepared for spinning in the early 1700s. The carding mill site gave way to a fulling mill for cleaning and thickening wool, and then a grist mill for grinding grain, before ultimately housing the Waterman Tack Factory in the 1800s. This factory relied on the Waterman Dam to harness the power of the river to mechanize the production of tacks, or nails, primarily used for shoes.
A historical image of the Waterman Tack Works, courtesy of Briggs's History of Shipbuilding on the North River
In 1846, then-owner E.Y. Perry came up with (and financed) the idea to create a railway extension known as the Hanover Branch Railroad, so that goods could move more easily among the industrial sites along the river.
In 1938, a hurricane caused the waters to breach the dam. It was never rebuilt, and today, the river continues to wind around the remains of the factory and over the remains of the dam. The railroad extension tracks were removed in 1969. The railroad bed now serves as part of the Indian Head River Trail system.
The next obstacle you would encounter on your upstream journey is the site known today as the State Street Dam. This dam powered Barstow’s Forge, which began operation in 1720. Barstow’s Forge made cannonballs for the Revolutionary War, and also made ship components for the robust shipbuilding industry downstream on the North River. Interestingly, this forge was also the site where at least one of the anchors for the famous U.S.S. Constitution was made.
Trail sign with information on Barstow's Forge, from the Indian Head River Trail
Chapter Three: Restoration Era
After an intense frenzy of industrial use and anthropogenic alteration, the hard-working Indian Head River is being ushered into an era of peaceful rejuvenation by a number of entities that are working together to restore the river and its banks to more gentle uses.
The Indian Head River Trail Coalition, which is focused on the creation of a trail system (brown dashed line) and preservation of open space, includes the towns of Hanson, Hanover, and Pembroke, the North and South Rivers Watershed Association, and Wildlands Trust.
One of the entrances to the Indian Head River Trail
Additionally, the North and South Rivers Watershed Association is working with the towns of Hanson, Hanover, and Pembroke to undertake a feasibility study regarding removal of both the Ludden’s Ford and State Street dams. The goal is to ultimately “rewild” the river to its freeflowing state, restore its natural ecology, and protect it and its banks for conservation and recreational usage.
The presence of these old and obsolete dams on the Indian Head River pose not only significant ecological problems, but also potential safety concerns, should the dams breach. The Factory Pond Dam upstream also poses similar concerns, but is a trickier problem, because it sits at the former National Fireworks site , where there is a lot of contamination.
Ecologically, we know that dams impede the passage of fish who need to move between different bodies of water to complete their life cycle. But beyond posing a physical barrier, they also create a thermal barrier to fish passage because when they impound the river upstream of the dam, this creates large, shallow, warm pools with lower oxygen levels. Take a look at the map on the right, and you can see how the natural width of the river widens dramatically upstream of the dam (to the left of the dam, as shown).
Due to the impoundments, some of the waters in the Indian Head River have been measured at up to 86°F! This is a problem for our native fish species, who require cool, oxygen-rich waters. For example, brook trout do best in waters averaging roughly 54-66°F, and cannot tolerate extended time in waters above 68°F.
The impoundment and warming of the Indian Head River means that our native sea-run brook trout are currently restricted to a few small inland coldwater refuges (purple lines), and can no longer make their way through the warm waters of the Indian Head River to the ocean and back.
Not only are these obsolete dams a concern for fish passage, but they also pose a potential safety concern for everyone living downstream of them. Both the Ludden's Ford Dam and the State Street Dam have been identified as being in poor condition and in danger of breaching. In fact, the State Street dam (pictured here) has already breached partially in several places, and as storms continue to intensify with climate change, these dams are in increasing peril.
When a dam breaches, it results in a sudden and uncontrolled release of water downstream, which can cause flooding to downstream residents and businesses. Dams also trap sediment, and when they breach, that sediment is released along with the water. This is of particular concern at these two dams, because the trapped sediment contains lead, mercury, and other toxins, likely left over from the industries that were along these riverbanks, as well as the National Fireworks factory upstream at Factory Pond. If these dams were to breach, the waters would transport all of those contaminants into the environment and communities downstream, in an uncontrolled torrent.
This sign, which is located on the Indian Head River downstream of Factory Pond, warns people not to eat the fish they catch there, due to high levels of mercury
Instead of a fragmented river with toxic sediment and fish unsafe to eat, we envision a connected ecosystem with healthy waters and thriving fisheries. For more information about the proposed dam removals on the Indian Head River, or to see examples of successful dam removals we have spearheaded in other areas of the watershed, please visit our website or leave us a note . We love answering questions and sharing our vision for a healthy and connected watershed!
