GOLDEN SPIKE PLAQUES over the years
In 2014, when we did a Golden Spike event in Clinton in the Old Timer Restaurant, we handed out several awards to people who did extraordinary things to get the trail developed.
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Secretary Richard Sullivan, who did a lot internally, behind the scenes, when he was in leadership positions at both DCR and EOEEA. His largely unnoticed decisions at the time, made it possible to move this project forward.
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Ed Yaglou, on the original Board of Wachusett Greenways and most remembered for his uplifting spirit and visionary take on things. He was the one who put the umbrella name, Mass Central Rail Trail on the project.
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The Fisk Family, who trekked the length of the corridor in the 1980s and wrote an as yet unpublished manuscript about the journey.
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Bruce Pennino, PE, who donated his professional expertise in the planning and renovation of several old railroad bridges on this corridor.
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An award was given to the family of the late Danny O'Brien of DCR. Danny did a lot to get the trail onto the radar screen of the State Parks agency and he designed and planned the Norwottuck section of the MCRT.
In 2018, when we did a Golden Spike event in Northampton at Union Station we continued that tradition and passed out Golden Spike awards to more people who did extraordinary things to get the trail developed.
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Governor Charlie Baker and Lt Governor Karyn Polito for their visionary directive that created the Trails TEam
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Wayne Feiden, Director of Planning & Sustainability at the City of Northampton who put together a vision that called for developing trails throughout the city. Having a trail only a few minutes from the substantial majority of the residents.
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Colleen Abrams, President of Wachusett Greenways, for her quiet, steady, leadership that has created a treasure in central Mass.
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Kurt Gaertner, Asst. Sec. for Environmental Policy at MA Exec. Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs,
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Dr. Richard Williamson, Sudbury
In 2022, at the Stone Church in when we did our 8th Golden Spike event in the Gilbertville village of Hardwick. we continued the tradition and passed out Golden Spike awards to more people and organizations who did extraordinary things to get trails developed.
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Cynthia Henshaw, Executive Director, East Quabbin Land Trust
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Dan Fitzpatrick, Founder of the Belchertown Land Trust which reacquired 7 of the 9.5 miles of the MCRT corridor there.
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Eileen Stewart, founder of the Williamsburg Rail Trail posthumously awarded.
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Kate Detwiler, Weston resident who was that community's leader in the Wayside Rail Trail effort in the 1990s. Posthumously awarded
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Paul Penfield Jr. Weston resident and leader in Wayside Rail Trail effort in the 2000s. Posthumously awarded
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Richard Kendall, Falmouth resident and former State Rep who created two laws in the 70s defending former RR corridor led to the creation of the densest network of rail trail in the U.S. Posthumously awarded
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Bill O'Neill, of Connecticut and widely known as the father of the East Coast Greenway was recognized for his lifetime of achievements in getting the ECG and other trails built.
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State Rep, Lyndsay Sabadosa who was a leader in the effort to carve out a work-around that allowed for several communities-- including Sudbury-- to use CPA funds on railbanked corridors.
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National Grid, owner of the 2nd longest network of dead steam RR corridor in Mass and now beginning to allow a long-term lease on them allowing conversion to trails and to even to co-use the corridor with their powerlines.
