Clay Pit Pond
Clay Pit Pond, also known as Claypit Pond, is a pond in the Boston suburb of Belmont in Middlesex County, Massachusetts situated between Concord Avenue and Belmont High School. It is a man-made pond, excavated as the source of clay for industrial brick-making on the site from 1888 to 1926. The Pond was formed in 1933 when the Wellington Brook was redirected to flood the site, making it an essential part of the drainage system for much of Belmont.
Clay Pit Pond | |
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![]() Clay Pit Pond | |
Location | Belmont, Massachusetts |
Coordinates | 42°23′38″N 71°09′54″W |
Primary inflows | Wellington Brook culvert |
Primary outflows | culvert to Blair Pond |
Basin countries | United States |
Islands | 1 |
The Parry Brothers first opened a brickyard in the vicinity of the current Pond in 1888. In 1900, nearly all brick making operations in Middlesex County were merged into the New England Brick Company,[1] which acquired the site and increased production to 15 million bricks per year with a work force of 75.[2] By 1926 the highest quality clay was exhausted and the site was abandoned, reportedly leaving behind an 1884 Marion steam shovel at the bottom of the pit.
The Town of Belmont purchased the abandoned pit in 1927 for $22,500 to use as a waste dump site. However in 1933, the Town diverted the Wellington Brook through a culvert to flood the site with 80 million gallons of water, creating the Clay Pit Pond.[3]
In March 2010, the pond overflowed onto the road after two days of rain, closing down the adjacent high school.[4]
Throughout the years, a few Belmont High School students have been known to traverse the pond as part of a challenge or prank. Some examples include walking across the frozen surface in the winter, as well as one student named Merrill Barnes swimming across the pond on a dare.
References
- "Great Combine in Bricks", Cambridge Tribune, November 17, 1900
- Reconnaissance Survey Town Report: Belmont, Massachusetts Historical Commission, September 1980
- Restoring the path around Belmont's Clay Pit Pond Matthew Repucci, Wicked Local Belmont, 2 June 2016
- Patrick Declares State Of Emergency As Rain Storm Continue Archived 2016-05-07 at the Wayback Machine. WBUR radio station, 15 March 2010. Archived at WebCite.