Pine Hill (Barnstable County, Massachusetts) Explained

Pine Hill
Elevation Ft:306
Prominence Ft:306
Location:Bourne, MA, U.S.
Range:Buzzards Bay Moraine
Coordinates:41.7086°N -70.5656°W
Topo:USGS Pocasset
Easiest Route:Road

Pine Hill, in Bourne, Massachusetts, United States, is the highest point in Barnstable County and, by extension, Cape Cod.[1] At 306feet, it is higher than Dennis's 160feet Scargo Hill, sometimes thought to be the highest on the peninsula,[2] [3] [4] among other local favorites.[5]

It is located off Frank Perkins Road, within the Camp Edwards portion of the Massachusetts Military Reservation. Access to it is restricted, not only because it is on a military facility but because it lies at the rear of an artillery range.

Natural history and geography

The hill is part of Buzzards Bay Moraine, created over ten thousand years ago by retreating glaciers at the end of the last ice age.[6] It is 2miles inland from Buzzards Bay itself and a mile from Massachusetts Route 28. The area is distinguished by sandy soil, bouldery till and an abundance of the pitch pine that gives the hill its name. Lower, hummocky hills and a few small glacial ponds make up the surrounding landscape.[7]

The hill was noted as a prominent feature of the Cape Cod landscape as early as 1874, when it was still part of the town of Sandwich (Bourne would not be created for another ten years).[8] Military use of the surrounding area began in 1911; in 1935 the state created and began building the Massachusetts Military Reservation complex after the Massachusetts National Guard outgrew Fort Devens.[9] Other than the road near it, the Pine Hill area has remained mostly undeveloped. Then-governor Paul Cellucci wanted to convert the area into a state conservation area in 1999, but dropped the plan after the Guard objected.

Approach

Members of the public may visit Pine Hill, but must arrange advance permission through the base's Public Affairs Office (PAO) and show identification when visiting the base. These requirements were in place prior to the September 11 attacks, but have been more rigorously enforced since then.

A PAO escort leads visitors over several miles of roads to a range station on a rise near the hill. From there it is a short walk down Frank Perkins to a narrow road leading up a gentle slope an even shorter distance to the summit of Pine Hill, a small clearing with a USGS benchmark set in a small concrete monument at the middle marking the 306feet elevation. It is necessary to stay on the road and path because of the possibility of unexploded ordnance in the woods. Surveying and meteorological research equipment is sometimes located at the summit. Any view is obscured by surrounding trees.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Cape Cod Geographic Facts. Cape Cod Commission. 2006-12-19. 2008-07-10.
  2. Web site: Rockhopper. CC. Learning to love History & Rhubarb Custard Pie. eCape, Inc.. Cape Cod Today. 2008-05-28. 2008-07-10. Next, I remember going to Scargo Tower the highest point of land on Cape Cod..
  3. Web site: Browsing Cape Cod. homeandabroad.com. 2008-07-10. Located on top of the 160feet Scargo Hill in Dennis (the highest point on the Cape).
  4. Web site: Town of Dennis MA Overview & Map. capelinks.com. 2008-07-10. Scargo hill is also the highest point of land on the Cape and is surmounted by the Scargo Tower observatory..
  5. Book: Coogan, Jim . Cape Cod Voyage: A Journey Through Cape Cod's History and Lore. Sheedy, Jack . 2001 . Harvest Home Books . . 0-9672596-2-2 . 14. If a person were to inquire where the highest hill on Cape Cod is located, there would be a variety of responses from local residents. .
  6. Book: Schwarzman, Beth . The Nature of Cape Cod. registration. Hogan McDermott, Sandra . 2002 . . . 1-58465-107-5 . 206. The moraine ridge continues to the north; about 3miles north of here Pine Hill rises to the dizzying height of 306feet, the highest elevation on the Cape.
  7. Web site: EPA Superfund Record of Decision Otis Air National Guard Base/Camp Edwards ., 2-2.
  8. Book: Nason, Elias. A Gazetteer of the State of Massachusetts. Elias Nason. B.B . Russell. Boston. 1874. 2008-07-10. Pine Hill in the central, and Bourne's Hill in the north-eastern part of the town, are the most noted elevations.
  9. Web site: Massachusetts Military Reservation. GlobalSecurity.org. 2008-07-11.