School teacher Esther Labbee bought about 60 acres in 1965 and lived in the house there until she passed away in 2012. She built a barn, drove a tractor and did everything herself, being a very independent (and some say feisty) lady. She tended her animals and gardens for many years, living a simple, quiet life. Esther loved this land, which she named Chenes Roches (oaks rocks) because of the many oaks and large boulders on the land. In 2004 Esther donated this property to Joshua’s Trust, with the agreement that she could live there undisturbed until she died.
Steward Pete Andersen and his wife Judy led six JT Trustees on a walk here on the day after Inauguration Day. There is parking for several cars off Blair Rd. The sign for the preserve is behind the parking lot, but Pete would like to get it moved near the road where it can be more visible. Someone also put up a (non-approved) basketball hoop in the parking area!
The first part of the trail goes beside a field, most of which was sold with the house, but which is protected by a conservation restriction held by JT. This is where Esther had her animals, gardens and barn, which is no longer there. The house and field is now owned by organic farmers who have another farm in Mansfield, but they have not farmed here for a couple of years.
This huge white oak was Esther’s favorite tree. There are plenty of other spectacular trees on the property, including white pine, a grove of hemlock, yellow birch, witch hazel, lots of mountain laurel, and many oaks. Some of the stone walls on the property have been cleared of invasive plants by a JT work party, but others are still in need of clearing. There’s quite a lot of barberry in the field portion that we own but the wooded areas look cleaner.
Here are two of the beautiful boulders on the property. The top one is probably a glacial erratic but without closer inspection, we aren’t sure. These large rocks have their own little ecosystems, including mosses and lichens. The trail has some ups and downs, and crosses a charming brook in several places.
This property extends over a ridge and down to the railroad tracks that run along the Willimantic River. There is no trail that climbs that ridge at this point but this may be a project for the future. You can see the ridge on the other side of the Willimantic River valley in this photo. You can also see some of the gorgeous mountain laurel that covers much of the land here. It would be spectacular in May or June when it flowers.
