The original area of High Rock Reservation consisted of approximately four-and-one-half acres located at the summit and along the south slope of High Rock. The area is a steeply sloping hillside which is studded with large outcroppings of porphyry and views of Boston, Nahant, and Salem. High Rock Tower and the Stone Cottage possess integrity of location, design, setting and for the most part materials.
Rising to a height of 170 feet, High Rock is less than three quarters of a mile from the ocean and commands unobstructed views of Boston, Nahant, and Swampscott. Although local historians suggest that the hill’s summit was used as a look-out point by Indians and early settlers, the site’s major fame dates from the mid-nineteenth century when High Rock and its porphyry outcroppings became appreciated for their “Romantic” qualities.
During the 1840’s, a parcel of five and one-half acres, including the summit of High Rock, was purchased by Jesse Hutchinson, who, together with other members of his family, built two Gothic cottages, an auditorium and an observation tower on the property. Both the fame of the Hutchinson Family, who lived there until the early twentieth century, and the “picturesque” qualities of the property made up of High Rock Stone Cottage, Daisy Cottage and the first High Rock Tower, frequent illustrations in wood-cut, lithographic and stereopticon views of nineteenth-century Lynn. These structures are significant for their associations with the Hutchinson family, a group immersed in many radical nineteenth century causes such as the temperance, abolitionist and women’s movements and are unusual physical representatives of this important phase of nineteenth censure culture.
High Rock Driving Directions
| From the North (Salem area) Go southwest on Western Avenue/Route 107 Pass Fraser Field (on your right) and take 2nd left onto Lawton Avenue (From Major Highways and Peabody/Lynnfield area) Go south on Route 129 (various streets) On Washington Street take the first left onto Western Avenue/Route 107 Take first right onto Lawton Avenue Once on Lawton Avenue Take 5th left onto High Rock Street Take 1st right onto Circuit Avenue High Rock Tower is at the top of the hill. |
From the South ( Boston/Revere area) Go north on the Lynnway/Route 1A to Market Street Take a left on Market Street (From Swampscott area) Go south on Lynn Shore Drive/the Lynnway/Route 1A to Market Street Take a right on Market Street Once on Market Street Go north on Market Street, thru City Hall Square to Franklin Street Bear right onto Franklin Street Take first right onto Hanover Street Follow Hanover Street to Washington Street Go straight across onto Beacon Hill Avenue Take first right onto Lawton Avenue Once on Lawton Avenue Take 2nd left onto High Rock Street Take 1st right onto Circuit Avenue High Rock Tower is at the top of the hill. |
2011 Observation Schedule (Updated March 2011)
High Rock Tower Telescope is located on High Rock Street in Lynn Massachusetts.
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Our High Rock Landscaping Project Webpage:
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