Ice Skating at Coggshall Park

On the day when my husband and I were scheduled for a showing of the house we would eventually purchase, we arrived about 30 minutes early for our appointment with the realtor. We decided to use the free time to explore the area surrounding our future home’s neighborhood and happened upon the entrance to Coggshall Park. After a brief drive through the park, we were enamored with it. However, we had no idea at the time how frequently we would soon be visiting Coggshall!

Coggshall Park is truly a hidden gem. The park consists of more than 250 acres, including a picturesque central pond known as Mirror Lake (with a gazebo and water fowl, such as swans), a "stone house" that includes restrooms, a children’s playground, and numerous well-marked hiking trails. It's the perfect spot for a jog, a walk with your dog, or a picnic by the water. There is no fee for entrance or parking. In the summer, there are even free concerts that are quite well attended.

As much as I enjoy meandering through the park in warm weather, there’s something particularly captivating about Coggshall in the winter. The city clears a section of Mirror Lake for ice skating, and I was there this weekend to take advantage of it. Amazingly enough, there was no one else on the ice! It was quite a treat – as a native New Englander, I’ve spent my share of time attempting to skate peacefully amongst fast-paced ice hockey games in any location that a town maintains and clears. Skating at Coggshall was a completely different experience, with the quiet and the gorgeous scenery providing an unmatched level of serenity. Our only companions were a young family and a few people out walking their dogs.

While there, we spoke with a man who indicated he had lived in Fitchburg his entire life. He deemed ice-skating at the park “Fitchburg’s best-kept secret” and told us that decades ago, Coggshall Park was the place to be in the winter. In those days, multiple sections of the pond were cleared to provide separate areas for figure skating, ice hockey, and games of snap-the-whip. A fire was kept burning in the stone house, live music played, vendors served up warm food and beverages, the local AM radio station broadcast the activities live over the air, and the pond was lit for nighttime skating. His story evoked such vivid images, we could easily imagine the scene. It’s unfortunate that people seem to have forgotten the potential of Coggshall to bring together our community in the winter months, but perhaps that can change with time. I hope to see some of you there next time I’m out skating…if we get enough people interested, at the very least, I’m happy to start bringing along hot chocolate and cookies to share!