Medfield Ponds

The town of Medfield owns five large ponds:  Kingsbury, Danielson/Richie’s, Meetinghouse/Baker’s, Vine Lake/Cemetery, and Flynn’s Pond.  Hinkley Pond, managed by Medfield Parks and Recreation, is a man-made swimming area.  Seven more Medfield ponds are on Trustees of Reservations property at Noon Hill and in Rocky Woods (Holt, Chickering, Little Chickering, June, Echo, Notch, and Fork Factory on Mill Brook).  Larger privately-owned ponds in town include Jewells and Parkers.  Of the five large, town-owned ponds, three are under the care, custody, and control of the Conservation Commission: Kingsbury, Danielson, and Flynn’s.  

KINGSBURY POND

Kingsbury Pond was created in 1702 with the construction of a grist and sawmill on Nantasket Brook.  More recently, a water-driven sawmill was constructed in 1918.  The wetland adjacent to the High School and Middle School is upstream.  The Town purchased land adjacent to the pond in the 1980s.  The mill has been partially restored through the efforts of volunteers and the Kingsbury Pond Committee (later the Kingsbury Grist Mill Committee). Some dam maintenance has been carried out by the Medfield Department of Public Works (DPW).  In addition to the mill’s historic interest and the pond’s aesthetic value, Kingsbury Pond is used by the town’s inhabitants for passive recreation.  The Town owns land adjacent to the pond, primarily on the West and South sides, and there is parking adjacent to the mill.  A walking trail extends around most of the pond.  Fishing and boating are popular in summer, with skating in the winter.  The outlet from the pond is Nantasket/Horse Brook which flows into the Stop River and then the Charles River.

For additional information on the historic nature of the Kingsbury Pond Grist Mill, please click here for a summary provided by the Medfield Historical Society.

Kingsbury Pond                                                                                       Kingsbury Pond Emergent Vegetation

photo credit: John Woodhull

Danielson Pond

Danielson Pond was likely constructed in the 1880s to provide power for a sawmill and to allow harvesting of ice in the winter.  The pond and dam area were donated to the town in 1993 by the Richie family; the land surrounding the pond was then sold as house lots.  Public access is limited to the dam area.  The pond receives drainage from an area adjacent to the railroad and from the Haven Road conservation area.  The town DPW has completed work to maintain the dam –this included removal and replacement of boards to manage water level and in 2021 some repairs to the earthen structure of the dam.  In addition to its aesthetic appeal, Danielson Pond provides wildlife habitat and passive recreation activities such as fishing, boating, and skating.  The pond is drained by Great Brook/ Great Pond Brook to Nantasket Brook.  

Danielson Pond dam is classified as a small size, Class II (significant) hazard potential structure due to the flood risk to Spring Street (Route 27) if the dam were to fail.  State inspections of the dam in 2014 and 2017 found the dam to be in poor condition and structurally deficient, triggering the need for its timely repair or removal.  Pare Engineering completed a Conceptual Design Report for the Danielson Mill Dam, including estimated costs for repair or removal options, in October 2021. For more information on Danielson Pond Dam, please click here.

Danielson Pond   (photo credit: John Woodhull)                                                                                          

FLYNN'S POND

Flynn’s Pond was donated to the town of Medfield in1995 as part of the development of Pondview Estates.  The town land (11.4 acres including the pond) includes approximately 50% of pond shoreline.  The town owns much of the land between Flynn’s Pond and Pondview Avenue, allowing public access to the pond.  The pond receives drainage from the area between Plain Street and Forest Street.  The pond outlet runs to Mine Brook (the Neponset River watershed).  Flynn’s Pond and the adjacent town-owned land provides wildlife habitat for both aquatic and land species.  The pond is suitable for boating and fishing.

Flynn's Pond (photo credit: John Woodhull)

MEETINGHOUSE POND

Meetinghouse Pond is a small (0.5-acre) pond in the town center created by a dam built on Vine Brook by William Plimpton in 1724 to power a fulling mill (for cleaning cloth).  The town purchased the pond in 1924 from J.H. Baker who manufactured wagons and carriages.  Sediment was removed from the pond by dredging in about 1990.  A Vertex Air II submersed aeration system was added in 2008 for maintenance of oxygen levels during the summer months.  In most years the herbicide Diquat dibromide has been applied to control the growth of variable watermilfoil.  Meetinghouse pond is surrounded by roadways and mowed grass.  Water drains into the pond from the wetlands adjacent to Hinkley Pond.  The pond provides wildlife habitat and an aesthetic benefit for the town center.

Meetinghouse Pond (photo credit: Eileen DeSorgher)

VINE LAKE

Vine Lake is a small (1.3-acre) pond in Medfield’s Vine Lake Cemetery (established 1651).  The pond was created by a small dam.  In addition to its aesthetic appeal and use as wildlife habitat, the pond is used for skating in winter and fishing in summer.  

Vine Lake (photo credit: John Woodhull)

HINKLEY POND

Hinkley Pond is a small (1.2-acre) swimming pond adjacent to Vine Brook and managed by Parks and Recreation.  The pond was built in the 1960s.  

A small (1-acre) pond near the Wheelock school has been used in the past as an outdoor classroom.  The town also owns a very small (0.1-acre) pond in the Red Gate conservation area.