Davis Farm Conservation Land

The Davis Farm Conservation Reservation is located on the south side of Rt 117 in northeast Sudbury, 0.2 miles east of the North Sudbury Fire Station. It is a 61-acre tract of land purchased in 1974 for passive recreation. The area presently has trails suitable for walking, bird-watching, cross-country skiing, sledding and snowshoeing. It adjoins a 42-acre parcel of land purchased by the Park & Recreation Commission.

A small parking lot is located parallel to the former Penn Central Railroad tracks. No motorized vehicles are allowed beyond this point. An old farm path, from which several short trails lead, winds south through the land. All trails are marked. The path ends at the base of a sledding slope and a cornfield, which is leased to a local farmer.

A set of trails exist that connect this land to Barton Farm Conservation Land. These trails are often very wet in spring and summer and are best used in the winter.

The Davis Farmhouse was originally built as the Red Horse Tavern in the early 1700’s. Reuben Haynes then bought it and converted it into a thriving dairy farm. He also cultivated apples, pears, raspberries, blueberries, peaches, grapes, vegetables and grain. There is still evidence of many of these fruiting crops on the conservation land today.