An editorial by the Lunenburg Historical Commission

Did you know...

Think about what speaks to you of New England...

Beautiful trees, curving country roads, stone walls that allow you to meander and appreciate beautiful scenery...

Maple sugaring buckets on trees, dairy cows grazing in front of large red barns...

Beautiful historic homes with landscaped lawns, pastoral vistas across a rural valley, a canopy of branches and leaves overhead.

These are the beautiful scenic roads that bring you back to a simple bucolic time and that exist in Lunenburg.   There are many roads throughout our town, but only two have the distinction of being protected by the Massachusetts Scenic Road Law.

The protected scenic roads under this Law are Lunenburg-Leominster Road and Lancaster Avenue.

Back in 1974, the Scenic Road legislation was newly enacted and at that same time Leominster Road was being proposed to be widened, flattened and straightened.  The road did need some attention, specifically paving, but as often happens, well intentioned traffic engineers recommended improvements based on traffic counts, traffic flow, speed and future Town growth.

Lost in the planning was the realization that as a thickly settled area, by definition, there is a posted speed limit and providing a road that would encourage faster speeds was counter to the actual needs and conditions. 

In an effort to maintain the rural character of the road, abutters and town residents initiated a petition to place the adoption of the Massachusetts Scenic Road Law before the Annual Town Meeting and to designate both Leominster Road and Lancaster Avenue as the Town’s first official scenic roads. 

The article passed comfortably and has been in place ever since.

Over the years both roads have had subsequent improvements but the rural character of each has been maintained which is a credit to the Scenic Road Law. Its value has again been demonstrated recently with the Tennessee Gas pipeline project which crossed both roads and the tree trimming project by Unitil. 

In both instances the law has been proven beneficial to guide the efforts and insure replacement and maintenance of the roads natural features.

Travelling to and from on other scenic roads in Lunenburg, many of which are steeped in history, one need only drive or walk along Mulpus Road – the site of Lunenburg’s early industry, Northfield Road, the Town’s oldest road, as well as Holman Street, Cross Street and others to appreciate the rural quality and character that Lunenburg’s roads have to offer.

The past and the future can effectively co-exist to benefit all residents with planning and concern for the history that makes our Town unique. 

Given the obvious benefits of having the Scenic Road Law in effect, it may be well timed to suggest that current residents initiate steps to designate and protect other roads in Lunenburg and in that way continue the efforts and foresight of the 1974 Town Meeting.