Editor’s Note: Sebastian Restrepo is a multimedia specialist at MassLive. The “Forgotten Mass.” photo series represents some of the work he captures from his travels across Massachusetts and beyond. It focuses on abandoned places, hidden gems, historical relics and forgotten lands. If you’d like to submit a tip to New England Uncovered, email srestrepo@masslive.com.
Hidden in the pine groves of the Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge in Sudbury are the reminders of conflict: concrete bunkers.
This land was purchased from Massachusetts families through eminent domain, repurposing what used to be farmland into storage and training grounds as part of the Sudbury Training Annex of Fort Devens, according the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. Bunkers were built, munitions and equipment were stored. Railroad tracks provided access to move munitions and gear easily from bunkers to nearby ports for war.
Today, bunkers are littered throughout the wildlife refuge that serve as reminders of the past. They’re empty, obscured by pine needles and vegetation, and, save for a few sprays of graffiti, remain as they were when they were built decades ago.
Beyond an enormous steel door and into a cavernous concrete structure, every sound a visitor makes reverberates seemingly endlessly. There is no light inside except for what filters through the gap of the door. The air inside is humid and stale. A lonely can of spray paint sits rusting in a puddle.
Turning the light off on my camera while inside was terrifying. The 75- by 40-foot wide interior space is disorienting, and the tall, mounded ceiling contributes to feeling like you’ve entered an abyss.
The refuge is home to more than 15 miles of trails to explore, according to the Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge website. Entering the park is free and it’s open year-round between sunrise and sunset. The groomed trails offer a place to hike, as well as biking and cross country skiing.
While there isn’t a map denoting the bunkers, I was able to find them easily along the Petapawg and Towhee trails. Trail maps are available online at the Assabet River National wildlife Refuge website. Parking is available at three locations around the park.
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