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Carl & Barbara Segerstrom Preserve
Segerstrom Preserve: Woodland, Family History, and Squam Creek
Discover
Carl and Barbara Segerstrom Preserve at Squam Creek combines a Westport Island woodland walk with unusually visible traces of earlier homes and farms. Jeremy's Ramble and short side paths pass hardwood forest, stone walls, and tidal-marsh views. The outing is especially rewarding when those features are treated together: the natural setting provides the scenery, while foundations and family burial places give the land a more personal sense of time.
Begin at the West Shore Road trailhead and choose a route from the current map. Kennebec Estuary Land Trust identifies several viewpoints over the creek's salt marsh. Let those pauses anchor the walk, with woodland sections connecting them. The tide-influenced inlet gives a wider frame to what might otherwise seem like an inland forest outing, and the surrounding stonework suggests how earlier residents organized the same ground.
The operator's historical account links the northern land to Timothy Dunton's family, who established a farm near Squam Creek around 1740. Later divisions created smaller homesites for descendants. The land trust also identifies the island cemetery committee's care for the Dunton burial place. Some surviving foundations belong to those later chapters rather than to one single original farmstead. That distinction makes the walk more interesting: a collection of stone remains can represent changing family arrangements over generations, rather than one moment preserved intact.
The southern part of the property carries a related Hodgdon family history. House foundations, extensive walls, livestock enclosures, and a cemetery remain within that landscape. The land trust notes that the function of every piece of stonework is not fully known. Approach the features with that balance of knowledge and curiosity. Their careful construction can be appreciated without assigning an exact purpose to each wall or rebuilding a whole farm in the imagination as fact.
These historical traces also show why the creek mattered. The operator describes productive land, salt hay for livestock, and water resources that helped sustain farms and households. Look from a wooded wall toward the marsh and consider that relationship. What now forms an attractive conservation scene once contributed directly to daily work. A change in viewpoint along the trail can make the connection between upland and wetland easier to understand.
Rebecca Goldfine's original Maine by Foot account finds the preserve evocative of walking back through time and particularly appreciates the tidal-inlet side. Her response offers a useful way to pace the outing. Give the natural views and historical sites equal time, rather than treating one as a diversion from the other. A pause beside a foundation and a pause above the marsh reveal different parts of the same landscape.
Follow maintained paths around fragile remains and burial places, keeping stones and objects undisturbed. The preserve's protection grew through public and community support, allowing its history and habitat to be shared. Finish with another creek view before returning through the trees. Segerstrom is a distinctive island outing because its story remains close to the walking route: a tidal landscape, the people who worked beside it, and the conservation effort that keeps both visible today.
Fun facts
- The northern land has a documented Dunton family farming history reaching back to around 1740.
- The southern area includes Hodgdon family foundations, walls, and burial places.
- Jeremy’s Ramble and side paths connect woodland with tidal-marsh views.
Before you go
- Begin at the West Shore Road trailhead and use the current operator map.
- View foundations and cemeteries from maintained paths without moving stones.
- Keep dogs leashed and follow current seasonal hunting guidance.
- Enjoy creek and working-water views without entering neighboring private areas.
Visitor perspectives
- Rebecca Goldfine finds the old homesites and burial places evocative of walking through time, and especially enjoys the tidal-inlet scenery.
Capture
- Frame a wall or foundation within the surrounding woods without entering fragile remains.
- Use a maintained viewpoint to show the salt marsh and tidal creek together.
Social
Segerstrom Preserve links Westport Island woodland with Squam Creek’s tidal setting.
Jeremy’s Ramble connects the main walking route with short side paths.
Old foundations and walls recall generations of island family life.
Dunton and Hodgdon histories give different parts of the property their context.
A marsh view helps explain the old farms’ connection to the water.
Leave burial places and fragile stonework undisturbed.
Give woodland scenery and family history equal time on the walk.
A final creek pause brings the preserve’s natural and human stories together.
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