By Geena Monahan—For the North Star Reporter
Long before organized rinks and indoor skating facilities, winter fun in North Attleborough often depended on cold temperatures, thick ice – and a small pond on High Street known simply as Titus Pond.
Though little formal documentation exists about when the pond itself was created, it sits on land deeply rooted to the town’s agricultural past. Titus Pond lies within the historic Codding Farm property at 217 High St., a nearly four-acre farmstead that dates back to the early 19th century and was preserved by the town in 2000.
According to documents from the Massachusetts Historical Commission, for much of the 20th century the land was widely known as the Titus Farm, named for the family who leased and worked the property for decades.
Beginning around 1910, Hiram J. “Hi” Titus and his wife Mabel ran the farm as a dairy operation, supplying milk to households throughout North Attleborough for more than 40 years. Under the Titus family’s care, the farm became a familiar part of daily life in town – and the low-lying wetland area at the southeast corner of the property was a familiar winter gathering space.
That area, remembered fondly by locals as Titus Pond, has served for generations as a natural skating rink where neighborhood children learned to skate, families warmed up with hot chocolate, and winter days stretched into nights under the glow of improvised fires.
Memories made at the pond
“I was always there,” said Linda Muir-Cauley, who grew up on High Street. “We would skate all day and even at night. Adults would light metal trash cans for heat, and some parents would bring hot chocolate. It was a safe place for us and so much fun.”
Muir-Cauley recalled her mother sewing her a skirt so she could twirl on the ice – and having to come fetch her when it was time to go home.
“As a kid growing up in the ‘50s, we made the best of each and every place to ice skate that we could. We would skate, play hockey, ice fish, and even wrap old sheets around hula hoops to use as sails. It was all fun that was free – kids didn’t have much money back then.”
-Bob McKeon
Elaine Paine learned to skate on Titus Pond more than 60 years ago, when she was just 7 or 8 years old.
“My dad used to take me there,” Paine said. “I loved the fact it was so close to home. Most everyone was friendly – except for a couple of kids who made fun of my double runners.”
The Titus family’s presence on the farm spanned nearly half a century. Hiram Titus, along with his brother John, operated the dairy well into the 1940s, delivering milk first by horse-drawn wagon or sleigh in winter, and later by truck. Longtime residents recall milk deliveries made by a variety of vehicles – including, at times, a hearse or flower truck borrowed from Casey’s Funeral Home.
While the farm was often bustling with family members, boarders and tenants, the pond remained a constant and one of many favorite skating spots scattered across town.
“As a kid growing up in the ‘50s, we made the best of each and every place to ice skate that we could,” said longtime resident Bob McKeon. “We would skate, play hockey, ice fish, and even wrap old sheets around hula hoops to use as sails. It was all fun that was free – kids didn’t have much money back then.”
McKeon listed Titus Pond alongside Whiting’s Pond, Peck’s Pond, St. Mary’s Pond, Falls Pond and other landmarks like “the Mudhole” that once doubled as winter playgrounds.
Andrea Kelleher Withers, who lived on Sumner Street as a child, remembers walking through neighbors’ driveways wearing her skates to reach the pond on High Street.
“It was always a challenge to make sure the ice was frozen enough to skate on,” she said. “Falling through was always a fear.”
On her ninth birthday – New Year’s Eve – Withers went skating while her parents were preparing to attend a party. The night turned out to be one to remember when she hit a bumpy patch of ice, fell and broke her arm.
“What a fun winter gathering spot that was growing up,” said Withers. “Except that night.”
Withers later moved to Georgia, where winters are far milder, but said the memories of Titus Pond have stayed with her.
“I cherish those fun memories,” she said.
After Hiram Titus’ death in 1959, the property’s use as a dairy farm ended, but the land remained active. Fields were leased for growing corn and hay, and the farmhouse continued to be occupied by local families. Through it all, Titus Pond retained its place in town life.
For many years, the pond was flooded each year by the Fire Department and maintained by civic groups, first the North Attleborough Kiwanis Club and later the Rotary Club. Today, the Parks and Recreation Department oversees seasonal upkeep, including clearing vegetation and filling the pond for skating when the weather allows.
For those who grew up nearby, however, Titus Pond’s importance does not rest in deeds, local records or preservation reports, but in the shared experience of winter days spent outdoors, skates laced tight, surrounded by neighbors.
“It was just where everyone went,” said Muir-Cauley. “You didn’t need much – just cold weather and good ice.”