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Weber Kelly Preserve
Weber Kelly Preserve: Where Woodland, Quarry, and Art Meet
Discover
Weber Kelly Preserve in Georgetown rewards a woodland walk with an unusually layered story. Mixed forest meets salt-marsh habitat, while an abandoned feldspar quarry introduces the region's industrial past. The preserve's name also connects land conservation with American art. Red oak, hemlock, and pine give the surrounding forest its own varied character. These threads make it a good choice for visitors who enjoy asking how a quiet patch of woods came to contain so many different kinds of history.
Kennebec Estuary Land Trust's property history traces the land through farming, timber work, and maritime families. The former Manson Hill Farm supported livestock and salt-hay production, with access to the Kennebec River. Old woods roads and stone walls fit that earlier working landscape. When walking today, look at those lines as reminders that this forest has been used and crossed for generations, rather than imagining an untouched setting without a human past.
The quarry adds a more specific industrial feature. The operator's historical account describes stone being hauled from the Small Point Quarry toward a wharf on Todd Bay, then transferred by boat to ships in deeper water. That transport sequence gives the excavation a setting beyond the rock face itself. A worked patch of ground in the woods was once connected to carts, waterfront handling, and the wider river economy.
The preserve's geology helps explain the interest in its stone. The land trust identifies pale pegmatite intrusions among darker metamorphic rocks and relates regional quarrying to feldspar used in manufacturing. From the maintained trail, compare color and texture where exposed rock is visible. Enjoy that as an observation exercise, leaving rock and minerals in place. The geological story is about understanding the material around the walk, rather than finding a specimen to remove.
A later chapter is equally memorable. Anne Weber protected the land in 1999, and the establishment of the preserve was supported by selling a work by artist Ellsworth Kelly. Public opening followed in 2008. That relationship gives the name a concrete meaning: a decision involving art helped secure a landscape for conservation and public enjoyment. The woods are the lasting result of a gift extending beyond the studio or gallery.
Rebecca Goldfine's original Maine by Foot account appreciates the preserve's subtle appeal, particularly its history and geology. She singles out an impressive stone wall near the quarry, while leaving its exact purpose unresolved. That uncertainty is worth retaining during a visit. Some features invite questions without providing an immediate answer, and the walk remains rewarding when a wall is admired for its construction before its full history is known.
Begin at the Bay Point Road trailhead and choose a current mapped route through the woods. Let quarry, rock exposures, and older land-use traces provide the main themes, with the marsh as part of the larger coastal setting. Weber Kelly works best at an attentive pace. Its story brings together farm, quarry, water transport, art, and conservation within a place that can still be enjoyed simply as a walk among trees.
Fun facts
- A sale of an Ellsworth Kelly artwork supported the preserve’s establishment.
- The public preserve opened in 2008.
- Stone from the former quarry was moved toward Todd Bay for onward shipment.
- Pale pegmatite intrusions occur among darker metamorphic rocks.
Before you go
- Start at the Bay Point Road trailhead and follow the current operator map.
- Leave quarry rock and minerals in place.
- Keep pets leashed and follow seasonal hunting guidance.
- Observe old structures from maintained trails.
Visitor perspectives
- Rebecca Goldfine appreciates the preserve’s quiet woodland, geology, and history, and is especially impressed by a stone wall near the quarry whose purpose she could not establish.
Capture
- Compare pale and dark rock textures without collecting or disturbing them.
- Frame an old wall within the woods from the established route.
Social
Weber Kelly Preserve links Georgetown woodland with quarry and conservation history.
A former feldspar quarry gives the walk an industrial chapter.
Old roads and walls recall an earlier farming landscape.
An Ellsworth Kelly artwork sale helped support protection of the land.
Look closely at contrasting rock textures from the trail.
Some historical features invite questions that remain open.
The Bay Point Road entrance begins a varied woodland outing.
Let the forest, quarry, and coastal setting tell their connected stories.
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