To research the human history of Crescent Woods, I looked at the land-use history of Englesby Brook, which runs through the center of the natural area. It seems like this area had not been used for much other than urban and suburban development over the years. Several culverts of the brook reveal that there are many strange obstructions in the waterway. These include large pieces of metal and items like shopping carts, which indicate that this land has been used for a long time for construction and commercial purposes.
I found that in one area of Crescent Woods, there are remnants of an old stone bridge. Research states that this bridge is most likely an artifact of the Henry Holt property. Henry Holt was the founder of a popular publishing company that still exists today, called Henry Holt & Company. In 1809, he built a mansion that was near the Burlington Country Club property. Further research has indicated that Holt would visit Vermont in the summers, so this mansion was probably a vacation home.
Unfortunately, that was all I could find about the history of this place. I’m assuming that the area was always a little plot of forested land in the middle of a developed neighborhood, and locals wanted to preserve it as an urban wild. Although this spot doesn’t have the richest history, it’s interesting to see how this place has been affected by the property development that surrounds it and its proximity to the shopping district of South Burlington.
Citations:
Berrizbeitia, I. (n.d.). Englesby Brook: Human Land-Use. Retrieved December 05, 2020, from https://www.uvm.edu/place/burlingtongeographic/focalplaces/eb-landuse.php