Newburyport engagement photos
Maudslay State Park is the perfect backdrop for an engagement session in Newburyport. It has over 16 miles of trails to hike and explore to find hidden areas for the perfect photos.
The activities that can take place at the park
- Hiking
- Biking
- Mountain biking
- Cross-country skiing
- Horseback riding
- Educational programs
- Take Amazing Photos! (I added that one!)
While you are allowed to Hike, Bike, Horseback Ride, and take photos, things not allowed in Maudsley are:
- No alcohol
- No motorized vehicles
- No metal detectors
- Dogs must remain on-leash
- No swimming
- No fires or grilling
- No hunting
While you are there exploring you might have nature call, but don't worry they DO have public restrooms at the park.
The park, (owned and run by the Department of Conservation and Recreation) park was created from the early 20th-century estate of Frederick Strong Moseley who was a stockbroker. It was first known as Laurel Grounds The Moseley Family was an English Family that purchased the now Maudsley State Park in the 1860s. Over the years they bought additional parcels of land forming the now 450 Acre state park. The family originally named the area Maudsleigh after their ancestral home in England. The property once houses 2 separate homes. One home was 72 rooms and that was where the family lived until the children moved away. The other home sat on the bank of the Merrimack River. The family lived on the property for four generations. Frederick hired the architectural firm Jacques and Rantoul and William G. Rantoul became the main architect for the property design. This particular architect also designed the famous Shre Crump and Low building in the Boston Public Garden. The family built 5 other structures on the property including a greenhouse and a building for the head gardener. The gardens were one of the most important parts of the home and they hired the landscape architect, Martha Brookes Brown Hutcheson. Martha was born in New York and was known for her book, The Spirit of the Garden published originally in 1923 and can still be purchased today. The Spirit of the Garden was the third in a volume series by Martha.
Stories go that the Mosely Family lived on the property and most children moved away except their daughter Helen. Her parents built her a house all for herself on the property. When the parents passed away Helen had the house torn down in 1955 to save on property taxes. In 1978 (four years after their daughter died) her home burned down. If you read the records, it had come that the IRS said the cost of maintaining the property was no longer tax-deductible, Meaning, it was costing the trustee money to hold. It's funny to me that four years after that it burned down. In 1982 the state bought the property for $5 Million dollars and today is run and operated by the DCR. The park was open to the public on September 15, 1985
If you choose to go there for your engagement photos, know there is a parking fee, and bring your walking shoes! It can take a bit of walking to find a location or to stop walking because you can't stop being in awe of this vast property!
This is an engagement photo of a bride and groom standing under a tree kissing.
Location: Newburyport, Massachusetts.
Reading Photographer Headshots-Portraits-Kids-Families, Senior Portraits 40 Marla Lane, Reading MA 01867 781-315-6030 - aw@cordelephotography.com
