The first record we have of making maple syrup in these woods was an article in a New London newspaper in 1896. 

 

The article refers to Nicholas Walrath making maple syrup.

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Nicholas Walrath homesteaded the property that the current maple woods are a part of.  Since there were no other woods on his property at that time, we can, with a reasonable degree of certainty, know he was tapping the trees in our present day maple woods.

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Nicholas Walrath was Robert Henry O’Brien’s father-in-law.

 

Nicholas Walrath’s farm was located east of the maple woods on the west side of County Hwy. T.  Today we refer to  that property as “The Little White House”.

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Robert Henry O’Brien married Nicholas’ daughter, Margaret, and eventually purchased the property from Nicholas. 

 

Robert Henry continued to tap trees in these woods up until a few years before he passed away in 1963.

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We believe the trail Walrath Maple Walk was the first trail blazed into the maple woods for the purpose of making firewood and maple syrup.

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*Trails were formally named in 2018 via a family voting system. This trail name was submitted by Mary (O'Brien) Hosmer and Gene O'Brien.

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Written by Gene O'Brien 2018.