Introduction
The natural Resources Trust of Bridgewater, working with the Massachusetts Audubon Society’s Ecological Extension Service, is preparing a Management plan for the Bridgewater Ironworks Park. This is the first phase of a multi-phased project to enhance the park and prepare it for public use. The second phase will include a landscape design for the park and a third phase will be implementation/construction. The management
plan will set the stage for the landscape design and for the on-going management of the park. As with all management plans, periodic review and updating will be necessary.

The Bridgewater Ironworks Park is approximately 12 acres. It is located on the Town River in a residential neighborhood just a short walk from downtown Bridgewater. It and the adjacent DPW yard are both parts of the former site of one of the oldest iron foundries in Massachusetts. It was established in 1691 and operated continuously until 1988 when the ironworks closed and the site was given to the Town of Bridgwater. It is
likely that the foundry supplied iron parts and nails for the shipwrights who launched several small vessels from the Titicut Conservation Area on the Taunton River in the late 1700s and early 1800s. By 1860 this plant was the second largest producer of iron in the United States. It produced raw iron, munitions, and armor plating during the Civil War.

The site has many cultural and natural features that make it desirable for passive recreation. It has the shell of one of the old foundry buildings that could serve as an interpretive center and restrooms. The Town River has a dam, originally built to provide power for the foundry and a fish ladder that provides opportunities to see alewifes and other fish as they move upstream in the spring. The site is well suited for pathways and a few picnic sites. Canoeists portage around the dam and use the site as a rest/lunch stop and as a put-in point. Sportsmen use the river as a place to teach their children to fish. It also has an attractive wooded area that provides habitat for a variety of wildlife. Students from the Conway School of Landscape Architecture, at the request of the Natural Resources Trust of Bridgewater, prepared a preliminary design plan for the ironworks
and several other parks in town. This management plan will build on that effort and provide a sound basis for the final design and on-going management.

Goals and Objectives
The Ironworks Park Management Plan will respond to the following general goals and specific objectives.

Protect the Area’s Natural and Cultural Resources

• Protect and encourage the regeneration of natural areas on this once
  industrial site by defining pathways, picnic areas, and other areas for
  public use.
• Protect fragile vegetation areas.
• Periodically control invasive exotic vegetation.
• Define canoe landings and carries to prevent erosion of the riverbanks.
• Protect steep slopes.
• Protect historical/archeological resources.
• Respect the 200-foot river protection buffer.
• Protect the water quality of the river.
• Support the maintenance and repair of the dam, stonework, and the
  fish ladder.

Insure the Quality of Experience for Visitors

• Interpret the site’s history as one of the oldest and largest iron
  foundries in colonial America.
• Provide appropriate interpretive materials (signs, brochures, etc.) to allow visitors
  to learn about the cultural and natural history of the site and its approved uses.
• Encourage use of the site by children and students so that they can
  learn about the area’s cultural and natural history.
• Provide attractive facilities (paths, picnic areas, etc.) for visitor uses.
• Develop a set of use regulations to assure safety and compatibility of
  uses. Periodically review and revise these regulations as necessary.
• Periodically provide on-site stewards to help interpret the site’s
  history and its use regulations.

Insure Relative Ease of Implementation and Maintenance

• Lay the foundation for a landscape design plan that is within the
  capabilities of the Town DPW and volunteer labor to implement.
• Provide a detailed, season-by-season maintenance schedule with
  specific tasks for Town DPW and volunteer labor.