OLD COLONY RAIL TRAIL LETTERBOX

To start from downtown Mansfield: Take exit 11 off of I-495 and travel north on South Main Street. When you enter downtown on North Main Street, look for Old Colony Road on your right. A public parking lot is located here.

To start from Fruit Street parking lot; Take exit 11 off of I-495 and travel north on South Main Street. Take your first right onto Hall Street (green airport sign) and follow until it merges and become Fruit Street. Follow Fruit Street past the Mansfield Airport and spot the parking lot on your left.

The Old Colony Rail Trail is a planned 5-6 mile trail from Mansfield to the Norton/Taunton town line along the former Old Colony Railroad bed. The completed section in Mansfield is called the WW II Veterans Memorial Trail. As of September 2006, Norton has chosen not to complete their section.

The Old Colony Railroad was a major railroad system, mainly covering southeastern Massachusetts, USA. Old Colony trains ran from Boston to points such as Provincetown, the tip of Cape Cod, and Providence, Rhode Island via its Boston and Providence Railroad. The first railroad known as the Old Colony Railroad was incorporated April 13, 1838 to run from the end of the Taunton Branch Railroad - which ran from the Boston and Providence to Taunton - to New Bedford. This however was renamed as the New Bedford and Taunton Railroad on March 26, 1839, before construction began, and only became part of the Old Colony system in 1879, when the Old Colony leased the Boston, Clinton, Fitchburg and New Bedford Railroad into which it had been merged. The Taunton Branch Railroad was incorporated in 1835 as a branch of the Boston and Providence Railroad from Mansfield to Taunton. It was built from 1835 to 1836, and operated at first by the B&P. The New Bedford and Taunton Railroad was incorporated in 1838 at the Old Colony Railroad, changing its name in 1839 to the New Bedford and Taunton. Construction ran from 1839 into 1840, extending the line to New Bedford, at which time the Taunton Branch split from the B&P and ran concurrently with the NB&T.

Starting from the Fruit Street parking lot; The paved trail heads north from the parking lot. A map board is located here. The southern section, across the road, heads towards the town of Norton, but is undeveloped as of September 2006. A stone-dust path parallels the paved trail. This is a straight trail with no turns and although wooded on both sides is wide open. White mileage markers are painted on the pavement in both directions. After passing by the 0.75 mile marker painted on the trail you'll come to a chain-link fence on your right. A dirt path leads into the woods along the right side of the fence and past a gate. The trail splits and you head to the right, where the trail forms a small loop. At the top of the loop, look straight ahead for a 4 or 5 trunked tree. Go to this tree on the side that is not visible from the trail and you'll see a piece of wood in the crux of the tree. Lift this piece of wood up like a drawbridge to reveal the Old Colony Rail Trail Letterbox inside. Please replace the small rock on top of the box, as it helps protect the box. Continuing along the trail, an open field is now along your left side as you start to enter the town. The paved trail ends at 1.5 miles next to another signboard, but the trail continues straight utilizing parking lots and low volume Old Colony Road. This brings you to downtown and Main Street at 1.9 miles.