Rick's Pond and Stonebridge Area

Rick's Pond, also called the Stonebridge Area, is a wooded pond-and-dam stop in the former Fordyce-Ricks estate. The stonework and old water system make it worth a brief pause if you like history built into a landscape. From Park Avenue, turn onto Stonebridge Road; the pond and a parking area are on the left. Keep to the public pond area: the hilltop house and its 17 acres are private.

After inheriting the property, John Fordyce dammed the creek to make a pond for his wife Lillian, first named Lake Lillian. The estate also had large and small stone bridges, a boathouse, and a water wheel that generated electricity for the house. The dam was part of the estate's water and power system, not just a decorative feature.

Samuel W. Fordyce bought about 1,200 acres here in 1878. He later commissioned a rustic Adirondack-style log house called The Cabin, completed by 1909. The pond and bridge area is the public-facing piece; the house and 17 hilltop acres remain privately owned.

There's auto parking beside the pond, plus interpretive information and a trailhead. The park material doesn't give a trail length or surface, so come for the waterworks and stonework rather than planning a defined hike.

The terraced stone dam lets you frame the falling water with the pond just beyond it. The stone bridge gives you a second distinctive detail to look for.