The preserve includes two rocky knolls for which the property is named (the Cobbles), as well as floodplain along the Konkapot and Housatonic Rivers, working hayfields and pastures, meadows, and 1,000-foot (300 m) Hurlburt's Hill, an open hilltop with a panoramic view of The Berkshires, the Taconic Mountains, and the Housatonic River Valley. The property has been owned and managed by the non-profit conservation organization The Trustees of Reservations since 1946. Hiking trails and an interpretive center and museum are located on the preserve. Rangers and staff lead guided canoe trips on the Housatonic River in season.[2][3]
History
Cobble is derived from the German word kobel or koble, usually applied to small, rocky, rounded and exposed hill.
The property was originally occupied by the Mahican tribe and subsequently settled by Colonel John Ashley, a New England colonial revolutionary for whom Ashely Falls is named. Ashley built a house near the Cobbles—the Colonel John Ashley House—now a historic site also managed by The Trustees of Reservations.
The name comes from a series of Bartholomews that owned the property after Colonel Ashley. In 1838 Wyllis Bartholomew purchased the Colonel John Ashley house and five and one quarter acres from the Ashley family; it is said he used it for farm laborer housing. He owned it until his death in 1846 when Wyllis' son Hiram inherited it. In 1852, Hiram sold it to his son George, who farmed it for many years. It didn't become known as Bartholomew's Cobble until George owned it."[4]
The property was farmland and pasture before it came into the hands of The Trustees of the Reservations in 1946. Additional acreage was acquired through more than ten purchases and donations from 1963 to 2000.[3]
Bartholemew's Cobble, located on Weatogue Road in Ashley Falls, is open during daylight hours. In order to protect the delicate ecology of the area, no pets are allowed on the property.
More than 5 miles (8.0 km) of moderately difficult hiking trails are located on the preserve, including The Ledges Trail a self-guided interpretive walk that runs over and around the Cobbles.[7] The visitor's center and museum include displays of natural and human history, photography, art, and taxidermic displays of local animals, birds, and bird eggs. The Trustees of Reservations offers guided natural history tours led by naturalists with proceeds supporting conservation work at Bartholomew's Cobble including wildlife research, invasive species control, protecting endangered species, and restoring native habitats.[3]
^Burk, John S. (2021). Massachusetts trail guide : AMC's comprehensive guide to hiking trails in Massachusetts, from the Berkshires to Cape Cod (11th ed.). Boston, Massachusetts. p. 90. ISBN978-1-62842-130-9.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)