4 days ago
Marston-Dunlap Conservation Area to open June 8
The town of Bedford is celebrating the opening of the Marston-Dunlap Conservation Area at 560 Wallace St.
"We are excited to show the work of so many different people who made this possible," Conservation Planner Kathleen Ports said. "Bedford residents seem to really enjoy their trails and this is a neat effort."
The conservation area, a 46-acre parcel of land, is preparing for its opening ceremony on Sunday at 10 a.m. The ceremony will begin with a ribbon cutting followed by a guided walk through the trails that starts at 10:30 a.m.
As previously reported in the Union Leader, the Piscataquog Land Conservancy and the Town of Bedford conserved 123 acres of land formerly owned by the Marcia Marston Trust in Bedford and Goffstown. Bedford then purchased 46 acres of land from the Marston Trust in 2021 for $1 million with money previously contributed to the Bedford conservation fund.
The opening has been a long time coming since the town purchased the land. According to Ports, they halted their plans in 2022 to perform an archaeological survey.
Ports said the land was owned by the Dunlap family in the late 1700s. Major John Dunlap originally settled in Goffstown, but then took down his home, marked each piece, and carried it to the new location in Bedford.
"The 46-acre wooded parcel of land was once part of a farm of over 200 acres, much of which belonged to the Dunlap family starting from the 1770s," Ports said. "The Dunlaps were expert furniture makers whose works are displayed in several museums across the country."
Dunlap Road was laid in 1780 but was then replaced by Wallace Road in the 1820s. According to Ports, remains of 1930s and 1940s touring cars can be found near the road on the conservation area.
Conservation Commission Chair Grant Killian said most of the remains of the Dunlap homestead are now overgrown by the forest.
"I think that's neat, it shows that nature marches on no matter what we do," Killian said.
The town resumed plans in 2023 to build a parking lot and clear out 1.5 miles of trails for the public to use.
With the project now complete, Killian said he is looking forward to welcoming the public to this historic place.
"Now that spring has sprung this is a fresh opportunity we have to welcome the community to use this place that has layers of history," Killian said.
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