Internet Tangent: Heart Pond Edition

Driving past another “For Sale” sign on the way home the other day got me thinking. Over the last three years, Pat and I have noticed a fair amount of activity going on with home sales in our immediate area. Of course, this is of particular interest of us being Realtors and all. Well, with a cell phone in hand and Google at the ready I headed down the bunny hole. It all started with one simple question… “I wonder how many homes have actually sold on this stretch of road?”

Serving as a cut through from Rt 110 to Rt 27, this stretch of road actually changes names 3 times and goes into 2 towns over its short 2-mile span. The Westford side, South Chelmsford Rd, changes into Parkerville Rd at the Chelmsford town line. (which is located approximately at the Middlesex County 4-H Fairground, as it is also located in 2 towns!) At the end of the line, near Kate’s Corner (a local deli/post office/convenience store), the road finally turns into Maple Rd. This is a tad confusing for non-locals as they listen to the GPS quickly rattle off the names of 3 roads on a 4-minute drive.

Pat and I have been living on the pond for 3 years now…I can hardly believe it! So I decide to log into the MLS and find out an actual answer to this random question,  “how many homes sold on this stretch of road?” Over the past three years that we’ve been here, 14 properties have sold on this stretch of road its abutting side streets. 10 of the properties are single family homes that have been selling for an average of $529,500! The other 4 properties were condos that sold for an average of $436,100.  Those are some nice values!!

So this is where the simple question twists into a Google tangent. After staring at a map of our beloved pond for a while I began to think about what its actual name is. We have always known it to be “Heart Pond” but every once in a while we would see a map with the spelling Hart. Seeing as how this body of water does actually resemble a heart, it only made sense. But who knows, maybe there was a local hero from yesteryear with the last name Hart that I wasn’t aware of. Also, I have heard a few locals and people on FB boards chatting about how they know it to be called Baptist Pond. My new question became, “What the heck is the name of this pond anyway?” So as most people do, I looked to Wikipedia for an answer.

The short entry in Wiki leaves me with little answers, some fun facts, one that I never heard before, and perhaps more questions. Wiki does mention that it is also known as Hart Pond, Baptist Pond or Baptist lake, but no further explanation. (I find out about the Baptist name a couple weeks later)

So cool… our very own Heart Pond was once used for ice harvesting! The evenings’ internet deep dive didn’t help me much on the origins of the other pond aliases, unfortunately. But this is where the story fast forwards to a real-life interaction… While driving home one afternoon, we stumble upon a yard sale. While chit-chatting with our neighbor, we find out that she had lived in the area for decades. When I remember to ask what gives with the different names, she thought it was because the parishioners of the First Baptist Church by Kate’s Corner used to get baptized in the pond many years ago. Duh! As soon as she said it, it all made sense. Baptist Pond named after the church. So now I am even more curious which name came first? And why is it that Heart Pond stuck?

Who knew that a simple question of, “how many homes have sold on this road?”, would turn into learning about ice harvesting. I may not have a better answer on the pond name, but I learned some cool stuff and got to have a fun chat with a local. Feel free to comment with more insight if you know, I’d love to learn more!

If you would like to re-locate to Heart Pond or elsewhere we are always happy to help. Would you like to know the value of your home? We can help with that too! Feel free to click the links to start your search, or call us for help today, 617-939-4613. You deserve the best, so call the team with experience..the Scanlon Team!

Much love, lovely people! ✌️ Alana