The Shad Factory Pond is one of my favorite outdoor escapes to visit. Wonderful place to go, walk around, admire the beauty that is the countryside, clear your head, and learn a little bit about wildlife along the way. No real parking in the area, just pull your car off the road in the dirt/grass. The Shad Factory pond is a fresh water pond, containing a dam and waterfall with a large amount of greenery to go along with it. Within minutes of stepping foot on the shore you are surrounded by tall plant life, flowers, dragonflys darting around, lilies sprouting up out of the water. Absolutely beautiful! One of the most interesting things to see here is the fish ladder that was recently rebuilt in 2007. The old one fell into disrepair(as it had been originally built in 1911). A fish ladder is a series of, in this case, concrete steps with rushing water that lead from the Palmer River up to the pond itself. Rehoboth is home to one of two remaining American Shad runs in coastal Massachusetts. This fish ladder allows eels, trout, herring, and you guessed it.. . shad to swim upstream to the fresh water pond for mating season. Prior to its being rebuilt, the fish population had sharply decreased. The address I posted is not specific to the pond itself but gives you a general idea of where along the road it is located. As it is October and Halloween is fast approaching, I will mention that this place has a bit of a ghost legend associated with it. Though I have never encountered anything during my time here, there are many reports of a man in dark clothes appearing and vanishing in the surrounding woods along with strange white lights and overwhelming feelings of terror. Beware!
