Bedford's Fawn Lake Conservation Area

Directions to

Parking for Bedford's Fawn Lake Conservation Area

Fawn Lake, a twelve-acre pond surrounded by another twenty-five wooded acres, was formed partly by impoundment and partly by digging; today it covers the three mineral springs which attracted first Nipmuck Indians (in the 1600's) and later, in the mid-1800's, seekers after the spring's purported medicinal properties.  Entrepreneurs erected a "health resort" catering to this clientele in about 1850 and christened it the Springs Hotel. A decade or two later Dr. Hayden acquired the property, expanded the Hotel, and created the pond, thus converting the sleepy town of Bedford into a destination much-sought-after by vacationers. Access from Boston was greatly simplified when, in 1877, the nation's first commercial 2-foot gage railway opened service to it. Success led to continued expansion of the resort through at least 1891, at which time it, by then renamed the Hotel Sweetwater, was described as comprising "about two hundred acres of cleared and wooded land, one of the largest artificial lakes in the State, a summer hotel, three medicinal springs, a railroad station, express and post-office, and is a little world in itself". Ease of moving products as well as people along the nearby railroad caused Dr. Hayden, whose "real job" was president of the New York Pharmaceutical Company, to construct a pharmaceutical "laboratory" adjacent to the hotel (a facility more properly described as a bottling plant) from which it is alleged that up to 350 concoctions based on the spring waters were regularly shipped. It is further alleged that a springs-based elixir produced in the laboratory, consisting of 95% ethyl alcohol and 5% proprietary ingredients, was wildly successful during prohibition.

To get there from Route 128/95

Take Exit 31B (Route 4N/Route 225W/Bedford) toward Bedford. Once on 4/225 (becomes 4/225/62) continue through downtown Bedford, past the point where Route 62 breaks left for Concord 2.7 miles from Route 128/95, past Route 225's left hand departure for Carlisle at 2.8 miles (leaving just Route 4/North Road from the original three-route mix), to Sweetwater Avenue at 4.1 miles. Turn right onto Sweetwater and drive about 0.4 miles to the Fawn Lake parking lot on the right. Park.

From other places

No need to involve Route 128/95 if you're starting from or near Burlington, Lexington, Concord, or Carlisle. In these cases a better bet is to drive to Bedford via Route 62 (Burlington, Concord) or Route 225 (Lexington, Carlisle) and then proceed to Sweetwater Avenue as indicated above.

*** Good Luck !!! ***

For those navigating to the start with MapQuest or a GPS system:

160 Sweetwater Avenue, Bedford, MA 01730 or N 42 30.891, W 71 16.515

To contact us call 978-808-0900