Weir Hill Reservation is a 194acre public park located in the town of North Andover, Massachusetts. The Trustees of Reservations owns and maintains the property.HistoryPrior to European settlement of the area, the Weir Hill area was used by Algonquian peoples. A 1968 archaeological survey identified a campsite at the southeast end of the reservation. It is likely that Native Americans periodically set fire to the hill to improve the landscape for deer hunting and used fishing weirs to catch alewives in Cochichewick Brook before they reached Lake Cochichewick to spawn. The reservation takes its name from these weirs.In the mid 17th century, early settlers cleared the slopes of Weir Hill for grazing sheep and cattle. In the 18th and 19th centuries, milldams were built along Cochichewick Brook to lumber- and gristmills.Modern use and conservationRising gently above Lake Cochichewick, Weir Hill offers hiking trails that pass over the crest of the 305ft double drumlin and track the shore of the lake. A rail trail runs along part of the hill, overlooking Lake Cochichewick. Many North Andover residents also use the trail system for cross-country, mountain biking, and its shores to go swimming.
