Good friend Gary had personal business down in Monson MA where his family had roots. I tagged along for the adventure, having explored the area several times in past years. While he attended to bushiness, I took a walk along the main road looking for any evidence of a rail line that once existed bring the famed Monson Granite (gneiss, really) down from a quarry to the rail line that still runs through town. Finding nothing, I returned and eventually set out with Gary to explore the cemetery and other features in the area.
Eventually we reached the site of the old quarry, mostly filled in, but conservation property presently. Hiking a few of the trails we did not definitively identify the old rail line site. We did see leftover blocks of stone from the old quarrying days and the area does provide an abundance of good hiking. Back at the entrance kiosk, a map was obtained that allowed a little more fruitful search for the rail line. So we moved our area slightly, located a good section of the old line route, and then headed out of town.
On the way home in Palmer we picked up an early dinner at a converted train station. Adjacent, is a site that once belonged to a Baptist church complete with a semi-underground grotto! The grotto had been filled in but now exists as a partially excavated project! The Turnpike was not far off and we we on our way home as the sun was now setting earlier and earlier.
