Warren and Betty Richards Community Forest
Warren and Betty Richards lived the life of an earlier era. An era with no televisions or cell phones, where you ate what you grew and where the cardinal rule was “help thy neighbor”. They lived a simple life in a log cabin in the woods, with a dream of preserving those woods for future generations. In 1945, at age 23, Warren Richards bought the farm on the corner of Sanborn and Hoit roads. The land had been used as a lumber lot. Loggers had harvested timber since 1895 on part of the property but left nearly 100 acres untouched.
Warren Richards was an 'old-fashioned Yankee,' supporting himself and always looking to help others, friends said. The Richardses were never rich, but they were always self-sufficient. The family had cattle, pigs and chickens. They grew vegetables - corn, peas, beans and cucumbers - and sold them at a local vegetable stand. They raised four children, living in a house on the edge of their farm. The children chipped in to weed the gardens, chop the wood, feed the cattle and can the vegetables.
From early on, the Richardses wanted to ensure that the forest would be saved from development. The land included a large rectangular rock where American Indians used to grind their corn. A brick kiln and a wood mill were once on the site, though little remains of either. In May 1972, Warren Richards approached Concord city officials about donating 150 acres, but they were hesitant to accept it. The city had no open space plan. The planning board and newly formed conservation commission turned down the offer. In 1977, the Richardses found a way to preserve their land. In a rare move for those days, they signed a conservation easement on 114 acres, which specified that the property 'shall be maintained forever as open-space devoted to agricultural, forestry and general conservation purposes.' The Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests has held the easement since.
The Richards land adjoins the 70-acre Spear Park on Sanborn Road, which was donated to the city about 10 years ago. An additional 60 acres of open space transferred from the Reserve at Stonehaven are also connected, forming a 250-acre parcel between Sanborn, Hoit, Graham and Snow Pond roads.
The city of Concord got the land in April 2009, and it is open to the public for hiking, horseback riding and cross-country skiing. The public entrance is just off Sanborn Road, through the Spear property. It contains a small parking area.
This area represents why many of us choose to live in New Hampshire.
(Summary of Concord Monitor article 2009)
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