The high point of the property is Todd’s Hill traprock ridges. Don’t miss the wildflowers, particularly noteworthy on the east side of Todd’s Hill Ridge, in early spring. To the north of the pond, visitors will also find a collection of some of the older trees of Branford, mostly hardwoods, thriving in the nutrient-rich microclimate in the shadows of Todd’s Hill Ridge.
Besides the ridge, the property includes an open meadow fronting on Cherry Hill Road, as well as Gurd’s Pond.
In 1674 the property was deeded to Isaac Bradley, whose family would clear the forest for grazing and agriculture for the next two centuries. The three ponds on the property were created as part of the Branford family's ice business in the first decades of the 20th century. After the ice was harvested in the winter, it was stored in a stone building, the foundation of which is still standing not far from Gurd’s Pond, named for Gurdon Bradley, the grandson of the original builder of the dam. Reforestation of the site began again in the mid-1800s and now provides the backdrop to the network of trails on the property.
The property is named for and was donated to the Land Trust by Lucy T. Hammer, who married into the family owning the Malleable Iron Fittings company on the Branford River. She served six years in the State House of Representatives and twelve in the Senate.
Read more at the Branford Land Trust website or the South Central Regional Council of Governments (SCRCOG) website (Branford).
To learn more about this trail and what you can find, visit the Branford Land Trust website:
From I-95 take Exit 54 and then proceed onto Cedar Street southbound. Take a right onto North Main Street (Route 1) and follow it until Cherry Hill Road. Take a right onto Cherry Hill Road and the trailhead to Lucy T. Hammer Woods will be on the right across from Sundance Drive.
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