According to research of Mill Pond, the man-made pond located off Main Street (Route 130) opposite the Community Gardens and the Wampanoag Museum and across from Naukabout Brewery and Taproom, it has been a part of Mashpee history since at least 1843.

Recent town discussions have taken place about the possibility of eliminating Mill Pond. An engineer hired by the town is working on fish passage improvements on the Mashpee River, from the outlet at Mashpee-Wakeby Pond to the culvert at Great Neck Road North. These improvements involve the future of the fish-water dam at Route 130. It is classified as a dam by the state and so is under state regulations. The state is saying the dam is in poor condition and not in compliance with the regulations. The town now faces two decisions on the dam; one is to remove the dam and the other is to fix it. If the dam is removed, it will bring an end to Mill Pond as the town has known it for over 180 years. Town officials pointed out that they would still maintain some sort of wetlands there, whether pools of water or freshwater wetlands. Some town officials are saying that removal of the dam would convert Mill Pond from a man-made pond into a stream, giving a better-designed channel for herring to navigate in and out of Mashpee-Wakeby Pond.

Earl Mills Sr., “Chief Flying Eagle,” remembers when Mill Pond was used to supply ice to the Hotel Attaquin and the community. He wrote in his book, “Son of Mashpee”:

“When the ice on the pond was the right thickness, a group of men would cut large blocks about 18 inches thick using ordinary handsaws. Meanwhile, a special track was constructed from shallow wooden trays interlocked with each other. The track stretched from the edge of Mill Pond, across the road to the side of the icehouse, located next to the Hotel Attaquin. The workers, equipped with spikes and ice tongs, pushed and pulled the ice blocks up the slope from Mill Pond to a chute leading to the icehouse. There, the huge shiny cubes would slide down with a great ‘swooshing’ sound. Inside the icehouse, another group of workers would be busy arranging the blocks into layers and covering them with sawdust. The top layer was covered with an extra-thick blanket of sawdust, the mark of a completed job.”

The late Vernon “Bunny” Lopez, “Chief Silent Drum,” remembered Mill Pond as “where the Mashpee River gathered itself for its run to the Bay. It was a place to sit and dream. The Old Mill Pond was a favorite place for us kids to go skating in the winter months. We would build a fire and roast marshmallows and skate until early evening.” He also remembered what he called “lighter happenings” at Mill Pond:

“On a hot summer Sunday afternoon, the ‘Boys’ were sipping beer at the Attaquin Hotel lounge when in walked Phil Almieda dressed in a light Panama suit. Phil looked elegant. The ‘Boys’ put their heads together and decided that it was time for Phil to ‘go down to the Jordan,’ a term they used for Baptizing. Seizing Phil by the arms and legs, they carried him under protest across the street to the Mill Pond, where they promptly dumped him in. Phil had previously asked that they remove his shoes and wallet, which they did. Phil emerged soaking wet, but good-natured, from the water. They then all retired to the hotel for more refreshments.”

Other longtime Mashpee residents tell of Mill Pond being a great place to fish.

Mill Pond is, of course, a part of the route taken by the herring as they make their way to and from Mashpee-Wakeby Pond and the ocean every year. Does the small Mill Pond confuse the herring as to the route of their journey, or is it a place of rest for them?

Mill Pond is listed as a town asset in the Heritage Protection/Community Character Report and is located inside Mashpee’s Historic District, which runs along Route 130, Mashpee’s Main Street, and the area around Great Neck Road North in what makes up the historic town center of Mashpee. In addition to Mill Pond, significant buildings and sites remaining in the historic district include the Samuel G. Davis School (now town hall), Baptist church, Mashpee Country Store (former Ockry Trading Post), Wampanoag Museum, the Parsonage and the Collins Lot (Community Park) containing the Archives Building, the 1831 One Room Schoolhouse, the Veterans Monument and Veterans Garden.

The future of Mill Pond is now in the hands of our town officials and the community at large. Will Mill Pond continue to remain a part of the Mashpee landscape as it has been for 180 years, or will it be converted into a stream having a better-defined channel with some surrounding pools of water?