Lob's Pound Mill Traditional Cache
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(small)
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Located on a rise above the Ipswich River in Reading, MA
General Description of Area
The official town seal for the Town of Reading, Massachusetts depicts an old mill. The mill was called Lob's Pound Mill and is located along the Ipswich River. The area is now a small historical site located in the north west part of town, next to the Town Forest. It can be accessed off of Mill St., next to a big light brown farm house. A large red sign on the right marks the entrance. This site also has the added distinction of being accessible by canoe, since the Ipswich River flows into Lob's Pond which was created by the mill's dam.
The Lob's Pound Mill was built in 1694 by a group of 6 proprietors. It was operated first as a saw mill and later provided services as a grist mill. As displayed on the Reading town seal the mill had an undershot water wheel and a flume which water flowed under. It operated successfully for almost 200 years. In 1895 the town purchased the site and removed the dam. The Ipswich was to become Reading's source of water. All that remains now of the mill is the foundation located in the northeast section of the site
A short walk from the small parking lot will bring you to an opening and you'll see the remains of the old mill. All around you will see tall grass and to the left you can see a retention wall. If you go 50 feet farther you can see the tiny Lob's Pond. If you go left towards a bridge you will see a small waterfall under the bridge. If you go towards the pond you will find a path that is to right of the pond and it is about 50 feet long.
The area has an adequate fishing spot and a open picnic area. The trails are all relatively short, but are nonetheless nice to wander around in. There is a great deal of wildlife, including birds and squirrels at Lob's Pound Mill.
Lob's Mill Pond is part of the James E. Biller Conservation Area. Directly beside Lob's is the Marion Woods area that also has a trailhead off Mill Street, but no easy parking.
Ipswich River
The river is one of the most endangered rivers in the U.S. Simply put too much water is taken from its watershed. There are areas of the river that actually run dry during drought periods resulting in fish kill and other ecological damage. If the river looks dry think about your own water usage as you walk the trails towards the cache. Do you really need to water your lawn so much and take those long showers? Read more about the river here.
(visit link)
Cache
As caches go this is a short walk. The Lob's Pond Mill area is directly adjacent to the Marion Woods conservation area. The paths here are somewhat nondescript but the area is not heavily vegetated so even if you lose the trail you'll hardly notice. The cache can be found by entering either at the Marion Woods area or the signed Lob's Pond parking lot. Since the area is along a river it can be wet after heavy rains.
You'll notice that there is a house not too far from the cache location. For that reason it may not be a good idea to visit this area after dark as it isn't that far from their backyard.
This is the second cache that has been placed in this area. The first was placed by WeatherednBoston but was removed in 2005. This location is on higher ground and shouldn't get water logged.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Snyyra gerr