Chapter 5

Since 1965, the last year of camping at Fresh Pond, I have stopped by a few times to check the place out. The campground hasn't changed all that much. It is now Fresh Pond Park and is used as a day recreational facility. The property has not been developed for any other use. If I recall correctly, the property was left to the town of Plymouth in a will to be used as a campground. The closing of the campground was brought about as a result of controversy of some sort that that surrounded that will.

Enough about the will and the why's and wherefore's of its closing. The only permanent structures were the store, the caretakers cottage, the two privy's, the rec hall and I think, a small well house. My first trip back to Fresh Pond was in 1971. I rode my 3 speed Schwinn bicycle from Weymouth to Fresh Pond. The dirt road in off of route 3A at the Brown Bear Motel was still a dirt road and their were only the handful of cottages that were their back in the campground days.

All the buildings were in tact but closed, except the rec hall which had been transformed into a bath house of sorts where folks could change and take showers. Outside showers may have been added the last year of camping. The playground next to the rec hall was still fenced in and the swings and slide were still in place but the seesaw was gone. The little pump house building was also gone. Their were picnic tables and a lot of folks were using the beach. I sat where our camp once stood amidst the pine tree's and black dirt. The tree with the lantern hook and flag holder was still standing tall at our campsite. The tree in the middle of the road still served as the traffic Island. The road system thru the camp ground was still passable but the brush was starting to grow in a bit. The road by the camp store was still open and clear for travel except it was chained closed. The parking lot at the top of the hill was open for parking business. Indian reservation adjacent to the parking lot was still the pine grove I remember as a kid with the two graves stones. The fish pier was still in tact but really had seen its better days.

My next trip back to Fresh Pond was in 1988. The privy's had been removed but the store and cottage were still their. The roads were a lot more overgrown but still passable by foot. Our hook tree was still in place as was Phyllis and Chet's hook tree's. The road by the camp store was still passable. We could still tell the configuration of the camp ground and how the camps were situated. It was easy to see where the privy's once stood and where the dump was. The fish pier was gone. The playground area was minus a swing or two but those that remained were still swingable. The beach was alive with activity but their was no raft. The rec hall was open for business but not for dancing. We sat at the picnic table closest to our camp and remembered the good old days of Fresh Pond camp ground gone by.

I went back again in the mid 90's, probably about 1995 or 1996. The campground seemed to be shrinking. Or was the overgrowth taking over? The roads were barely passable by foot and their were signs of teenage night life. The road in from 3A was paved and had a solid yellow line down the middle. The cottages were transformed into year round homes and their was a new life of suburbia being built up around the northside of the camp ground. The hook tree's were still in place and their was only one swing left in the playground. The slide was still standing but not ready for sliding action. We were able to peek into the camp store and it was filled with the toilets from the privy's.

My most recent trip back to Fresh Pond was 13 October 2001. The camp store and cottage are gone. That whole area is overgrown. The road into camp by the store is overgrown and unpassable. The parking area is still at the top of the hill but the overgrowth along the road makes it easy to miss the parking lot. The roads from the rec hall back are terribly overgrown and most are nearly impassible by foot. The top of the hill is most unrecognizable. The waterfront is still the waterfront but our hook tree is gone. The tree in the middle of the road is gone. Their is a paved handicap parking area in the proximity of the area where the Briers camp was. Their is a paved walkway from the handicap parking area to the beach. The paths to the beach are just about grassed over. The areas where the camps actually stood are grassed over. The playground is still fenced in and the slide is still standing. Their are no swings but the frame is still in place. From the front of the rec hall to the door on the side is a handicap ramp. Their are a number of picnic tables and trash barrells that give the place that park look. The pond looks good. It looks as clean and refreshing as it did the last day we camped their. Their is no life guard chair or life guard named Clyde and no raft.

Fresh Pond has changed a lot but at the same time it hasn't changed a bit. The memories, although a bit faded with time, are just as pleasant as actually being their.

I am sure I will visit Fresh Pond again in the future and will remember the wonderful summers we spent their.

Did you camp at Fresh Pond? Blast me an email!! I’d love to hear from you! Return to the Beginning!

(Last revised 10 March 2007)