Thanksgiving Ground Forest
The Thanksgiving Ground Forest is a 45-acre Town Forest
located adjacent to the Farms I neighborhood in South Chelmsford. It borders on Russell
Mill Pond's west bank and the Great Brook Farm State Park in Carlisle to the south. The
area gets its name from the historic annual gathering of the men of the Town at a mass of
boulders each Thanksgiving Day for a fox hunt. Due to its pond frontage it offers great
water-based recreation potential. It is only a short carry with the canoe to get from the
end of Janet Road to the edge of the pond. Access is also available from Gary Road and
Kristin Drive. The trails also connect to Great Brook Farm State Park in Carlisle, which
is also discussed in this guidebook. The forest is a mix of hard and soft woods. There are
also enormous outcroppings of ledge and massive boulders on the property. The extreme
southern end of the Forest brings one to the upper end of Russell Mill Pond, where River
Meadow Brook enters the pond from Carlisle.
Location: At the end of Janet Road, or Gary Road, just
south of Clarissa Road
