Cohasse Falls - An Exploration

A few weeks ago I decided to hike to a place I hadn't been to in over 30 years, probably closer to forty. I'll call this a destination hike as I had a specific destination in mind, Cohasse Falls in Southbridge, MA. And of course, I would see what I could find along the way. At the end of this post is a link to a video of my hike.

Cohasse Falls - Copyright Paul Roy 2020

What I Found

Cohasse Falls is on Cohasse Brook, a small stream that begins in the town of Woodstock, CT, flowing through the town of Southbridge, ending at the Quinebaug River. Historically this has been an important little stream to the area providing water power to several mills and industrial concerns. Here is a little history written in 1909 describing what was along the brook. 

Sluice Gate - Copyright Paul Roy 2020

My hike started at the dam built by George W. Wells in 1897. Most of the land on the first part of the hike traverses through what was this farm. Along this dam, you can see what remains of the mechanism for a sluice gate. There used to be a wooden platform around this and I seem to remember a lever as well. 

In the paper I referenced above, there is mention of a boathouse, the remains of which are still there, and a two-story building used as a mill. I explored the area beneath the dam to see if I could find any remains of the mill but there were none. 

An Old Foundation

On my way to the falls, I came across one foundation. I have not been able to find any information about who this house might have belonged to. One of the problems I have come across is not being able to find very good historical maps. The ones I have come across don't always show the information needed to determine what was on the land. I suppose if we lived in a normal world again I could go to the various towns involved and look at their records, but that is more work than the hiking. 

 So I can hear you asking, "WW, how do you know this was a house?"

First, I can tell it is a man-made structure. The hole was dug and the extra dirt makes a lip around the edge. There are stones embedded along the edge of the lip, and they were placed there by hand. There is also a corner. The chances of there being a full corner occurring naturally are pretty slim. I also believe that the pile of rocks along the side of the foundation is a chimney stack, where the chimney collapsed after the wood rotted away.

This foundation could also be a barn, although I don't think so. If it was I should have found evidence of a house nearby. I did not. Not that there would always be a house near a barn, but I don't think there would be a barn standing by itself. It is much more likely to have been a house without a barn.

As I mention in the video I also looked for a well. Wells tend to be harder to find. While there are times when you will come across a classic well, round, and stone-lined, many times they were filled in and might only be a depression in the ground. Some wells and even houses, which may be the case here, were only temporary. The settlers could have built a temporary house and then decided to move to a different location. They may have found the land was great for farming, and never improved on the well or house. 

Can I ever be 100% sure of what I am seeing? No. Much of it is conjecture, I look at what makes sense. As an example, I know this foundation wouldn't have been any kind of mill site. Why? No water source. Water would have been needed for power. 

The Falls

The falls are just as magnificent as ever. The only difference is the addition of a new reservoir, and its associated dam and pump house. At least it doesn't take away from the falls. For some reason, I kept thinking I used to get to the falls from the other side, the right side, but I could be mistaken, after all, I have destroyed a lot of brain cells in the past 40 years.

I also noticed another thing I don't remember seeing, another, smaller, set of falls above the main falls. This by itself was beautiful but when I noticed that the channel was lined with stones as if they were purposely placed there, you know I had to look further. What did I find?

There was a man-made dam. and an associated pond, although gone back to a natural state. I couldn't see any foundations for a mill on the side of the stream I was on and I couldn't cross to the other side. While there is nothing depicted on any of the old maps stating there was a mill there, it would have been a perfect site for one.

If You Go:

If you decide to go here are a couple of things to know. First, the road into the reservoir is posted. Along both sides are private house so I am assuming there is no access this way. The way I got to the falls was by following one of the fairways of the Cohasse Country Club. There may also be an access road to the solar farm at the beginning of the trail. 

While the falls are on town-owned land there is nothing posted saying you can't be there. While it is a little bit of a hike (approx 1.5 miles) it is worth it. The trail is not marked however you can click here to see how I went. 

Please respect the area, take out what you print in, leave only footprints, and take only pictures.

Links:
Cohasse Brook and its Industries
1898 Map of Southbridge
1890 Topographical Map 
Video Tour
Wayward Walker Photo Blog