Landscape Character

The landscape of Lexington is one of immeasurable beauty, much of which has been retained even as the Town has become more densely populated over time. The natural features and protected areas of Lexington’s landscape provide its residents with scenic value, recreation opportunities, and valuable ecosystem services.

Major Characteristics or Unusual Geologic Features

Bloody Bluff Fault: The Bloody Bluff, located at the historic Fiske Hill site at the corner of Old Massachusetts Avenue and Marrett Road, is a part of the Minuteman National Historic Park. The Bloody Bluff reveals a section of granite bedrock exposed by the Bloody Bluff fault, which runs through Lexington as it travels approximately 80 miles from Newbury, MA to northern Connecticut.2 The Bloody Bluff fault was first recognized in the early 1960’s by Norm Cupples. This discovery was seen by geologists as an opportunity to examine the theory of plate tectonics, because the Bloody Bluff area hypothesized to be an area of contact between two major continental plates. Whipple Hill: At 374 feet, Whipple Hill is the highest point in Lexington. Its rounded summit rock and high exposed cliffs that form a shallow ravine are unusual geologic features in town. The top of Whipple Hill is home to plants not otherwise found widely in Lexington, including bear berry and scrub oak. The property features three potential vernal pools and one certified vernal pool. Nearby, a larger secluded woodland pond attracts a variety of wildlife, including American eel, painted turtles, orioles, migrating warblers, dragonflies, and muskrats. Rare wild flowers also grow on this property (see Natural Heritage Program list) as well as two rare plants identified by the New England Plant Conservation Program (see Unusual Vegetation, pg. 4-13). Whipple Hill is owned by the Town as a conservation area.

Areas of Archaeological Interest

Poor Farm Conservation Area: In February of 1985, Boston University’s Center for Archaeological Studies, along with several Lexington High School classes, carried out an archaeological dig at a site on the Poor Farm Conservation Area. They found several prehistoric artifacts, including a projectile point of the Late Archaic/Early Woodland smallstem tradition (1,000 B.C.) and a prehistoric stone tool. They also found many 18th and 19th century artifacts, including porcelain earthenware, edge-decorated pearlware, oyster shells, a metal pin button inscribed with “W. Kid McCoy”, milk cans, indications of a small forge, mason jars, stone ware, two plain clay pipes, bowl fragments, two creamware fragments, and hand-wrought nails.

2 Minuteman National Historical Park Geologic Resources Inventory Report, US Department of the Interior: http://npshistory.com/publications/mima/nrr-2017-1523.pdf.