The Cox Reservation consists of two parcels: a four-acre woodlot on nearby Lufkin Street and the 26 acres of upland, salt marsh, farmland with house and barn, and river frontage on Eastern Avenue. The views from the larger parcel east toward the salt marsh, the Essex River, the back of Crane Beach, and Castle Hill and Choate Island are magnificent. The LEED certified Greenbelt headquarters and staff offices are located at the Cox Reservation, and the property serves as the location for many Greenbelt events, such as Art in the Barn, throughout the year.
Address
82 Eastern Avenue Essex, MA 1929
Driving Directions
From Route 128: Take Exit 15 “School Street” 3.0 miles north. School Street becomes Southern Avenue and leads into Essex center at the intersection of Southern Avenue and Eastern Avenue. Turn right onto Eastern Avenue, Route 133, toward Gloucester 0.5 mile. You will pass the South Essex Center mall on the right, and then make an immediate left turn into our driveway, which is marked by a Greenbelt sign. (If you reach Farnham’s Clams you have gone too far.) Parking: follow the driveway over a small bit of marsh, bear right when the driveway forks, and park in the lot between the barns.
Notes & Advisories
Its location on the Essex Bay estuary makes the Cox Reservation a rewarding place for natural history observation. Shorebirds feed on the mud flats at Clamhouse Landing, and herons, egrets and kingfishers take advantage of the abundant food source of the salt marsh. The old hayfields surrounding the house and barns are home to bobolinks, meadowlarks, and also support the activity of bluebird boxes and osprey platforms. Dogwood, cherry, honeysuckle, pear and apple blossoms make for a fragrant spring while the hickory, ash, sumac and goldenrod create a golden aura in autumn.