The Townsend Town Forest

The town forest in Townsend was established in 1924 on 25 acres of land which formerly served as the town poor farm. (Town poor farms were a widely practiced means of welfare throughout New England up until the end of the 19th century. Responsibility for welfare then shifted from towns to county or state governments, providing the opportunity for communities to retain ownership of town farm woodlots and convert them to town forest). An additional 25 acres were acquired at a later time.

Over 11,000 trees were planted in this 50 acre forest.