Ruins of Highover Estate

When considering new adventures to go on I like to balance the amount of hiking needed against the amount of cool stuff we'll get to see once we arrive. The hike is often a necessity of exploration, not just because most of the good places are hidden from the public, but for the same reason a cold beer always tastes better following an afternoon of mowing the lawn. Things are more enjoyable when you have to work for them first.

The JC Phillips Nature Preserve of Beverly Massachusetts hits that sweet spot with just the right balance of hiking and exploring. It's located behind the historical Moraine Farm, which is where this adventure begins nearly 140 years ago. John Charles "JC" Phillips, a businessman from Boston, purchased 275 acres with the intent of creating both a future logging site and a working farm. Only problem was, this 275 acres was a wasteland that was as barren of vegetation as the top of my head is barren of hair. But for a problem solver such as JC this was no biggie, he simply rerouted 40 acres of drainage, planted 60,000 trees, and terra-formed the entire land into a farm that is still in operation today. JC passed away in 1885 but the land remained in the family, and in the early 1900's one of his children, William Phillips, built a mansion he dubbed Highover Estate in the woods of the property. Highover burned down in 1968, and that brings us to present day 2017 when we set out to hike this area and find the remains of the estate for ourselves.

If you drew a circle around the preserve Highover would be the bulls-eye, so in the spirit of balancing work and play we took the long way around to first enjoy the sights of bordering Wendham Lake. This is a spring fed lake that produces ice so pure it was harvested each winter and packed in straw to be shipped worldwide, a business that continued into the 1930's. With such a nice view you'd think I'd have a picture or two of the water, but twice through my photo album says this peek in the background is the best I've got.

During the hike we did get a couple good action videos, because it just wouldn't be a hike if we didn't risk breaking a tailbone now and then. I chose to risk mine by showing off my tight-roping skills on this toppled tree.

This teepee structure was curious, and I liked imagining it was a communal effort where each person to come along would add another log to it. I also liked imagining I was going to have to crawl inside and rescue Tina, but she managed to find her way out.

After some helpful directions from a trail-jogger we started coming across remnants of the burned down mansion. First it was a solitary stone pillar, then some random steps, and finally on top of Prospect Hill we reached our destination, the beginning of Highover ruins.

I've seen pictures of the original mansion and my best guess is this was the courtyard in the rear. It is also the structure that convinced me to make this hike when I first came across it online, so I was happy to find it still standing where we could get a few pictures with it.

Another spot that held up over time is this archway. I can't figure out it's purpose other than just being decorative since a brick wall stands behind it, but be sure to look for the Latin writing carved into the rounded stone at its base.

This corner where two walls meet was another head-scratcher, almost like each of them was built in different eras. Or maybe on different budgets, not unlike the sunroom we tore off our house a few years back.

Also, we've come across some pretty creepy things in our years of explorations, but this gargoyle fountain is right at the top of that list. Look close and you'll see that it's still spitting out water.

85 acres of the original Moraine Farm are owned today by the cities of Beverly and Wenham, under an arrangement that protects the land from any development. The area is open to the public, and a kiosk at the site of Highover ruins offers further history of the property and former mansion. For anyone looking to make an enjoyable hike and explore a piece of history, I highly recommend you spend an afternoon at the JC Phillips Preserve.

Just make sure you walk the long way to get to the ruins.

Links:
Where to park
Finding the Ruins