Event: Waverley Trail Dedication
I’ll be attending the Waverley Trail dedication ceremony this Friday, April 27, 2007. The event takes place at 3:30 PM, rain or shine, at Beaver Brook Reservation, 650 Trapelo Road, Belmont.
The Waverly Trail “celebrate[s] the remarkable history of the Oaks and the Waverley neighborhood.” Beaver Brook Reservation, known colloquially as “Waverley Oaks” once housed enormous oak trees, some reportedly over 1000 years old.
This is where I grew up. I used to catch crayfish in the brook here. I’m really excited to learn more about the trail.
On a related note, WalkBoston will be sponsoring a one-hour guided tour of the trail on Saturday, April 28, 2007 at 10:30 PM. It’s free, but reservations are required. See here or call 617-367-9255 for details.
7 comments
So is it Waverly or Waverley? It’s almost like unconventionally spelled place names are a source of pride for residents of Olde Tyme New England. Like having your family name misspelled on the manifest of the Mayflower is socially more valuable than having your name misspelled at Ellis Island.
I lived in the Waverley Square area and worked in an office building at Waverley Oaks in the early 2000s. I bet it’s changed dramatically from when you grew up, Matt. How many times did you see the brook flood like it did in–was it Spring of 2000? There was a taxi cab parked behind 411 Waverley Oaks under water above the window line.
Well, “Waverley” seems to be the official spelling! I’ll update the post.
I have apparently misspelled it all my life, or if I’ve just misspelled it here … that second “e” makes it look too long to me! Or maybe it is a local spelling … I’ve founder several occurences of the “short spelling on” Google!
Anyway, I still visit the Oaks regularly, and I remember seeing an especially large flood in the past several years.
The area has changed a lot, like, I remember when 411 Waverley Oaks was being built!
You’re not the only one who gets it confused: check out the guys who own the Waverly/Waverley Oaks athletic club. They’ve been misspelling it for long enough to just give up and register both the domains:
http://www.waverlyoaks.com/
[...] The other day when I wrote about the upcoming dedication of the Waverley Trail, I originally spelled “Waverley” as “Waverly.” Not long after, in the comments, Brian Del Vecchio pointed out that he thought the spelling was actually “Waverley.” [...]
I am in the process of moving into the Waverly Square area and am very interested in learning more about the history of the area. Do any of you have any suggested avenues for me to persue? I’d guess walking the trail and spending some time at the Belmont library would be the best start? Does Belmont have a historical society?
Walking the trail would certainly be a pleasant thing to do. Make sure to visit the nearby Duck and Mill Ponds as well.
Belmont does have a historical society. They meet in the main library on Concord Avenue. They are housed in the Claflin Room, which is only open at certain times. I’ve found the hours posted on their website to be unreliable, so it’s probably best to call the library first if you’re going to head over.
Most of what I know about Belmont/Waverly (and it’s not a lot!) I learned from reading the book “Footsteps Through Belmont” by Richard Betts of the society. You can’t purchase it any more, but you should be able to borrow it from the library.
After you learn more about the area, please come back to Spotstory and share what you know!
Great info, thanks! Very much appreciated….