Clement Farm

Historical Background

Located in the very northern part of Haverhill, Clement Farm is one of our smaller parks at 53 acres with 1.51 miles of trails. One of the first settlers in Haverhill, Robert Clement, Sr., came from England with his family in 1642. His son, one Robert Clement, Jr., was one of the colonists who signed the original Deed of Haverhill. In 1721 his grandson, Lt. Robert Clement, was given a grant of land in the northern part of Haverhill where the current Clement Farm now resides. On March 6, 1930, the farm was given to the American Legion, Wilbur M. Comeau post until 1980 where it was then given to the City of Haverhill and made into a public park. No longer a farm unlike the name suggests, the area is now what we come to expect from a public park.    

Environmental Features

When first entering the park, you will first see the ball fields and the American Legion post. The rest of the park contains with a diversity of plants and wildlife. The forest was actively managed in 2013, with the area south of the wooden footbridge highlighted for some of the park’s oldest trees.  The most remarkable might be the Sugar Maples in this area; the largest of which is approaching 40” in diameter.  You can find a unique species of tree located here, The American Hornbeam, which characteristics have given the tree several nicknames such as “ironwood” and “musclewood”. Another species of tree found here is the Eastern Hophornbeam, a small tree with brown bark and a shredded appearance.

The park is also great habitat for vocal birds such as the blue Jay, Black-Capped Chickadee, Brown Creeper, and the Red- and White-Breasted Nuthatches. If you make your way to the little river you could find the Woodcock and may find a Grey Fox. The area is also home to the small Brown Bat, which can be seen at dusk. Steep terraces, created from mass meltwater drainage following the retreat of the glaciers, overlook the Little River watershed. The river’s unique loops known as meanders are visible from the western trails, and the clay beds in the valley provided the material for bricks that were used to create the early nineteenth century farmhouse located in the park.