Ox Pasture Sanctuary

The land trust acquired the property in 1994.

From the land trust site:

The Ox Pasture is so named because it was used as pasture for these animals by early landowners, including members of two prominent Madison families, the Mungers and the Dudleys. This haying activity has a special resonance for Madison residents because of its portrayal in a classic WPA mural located in the Madison post office. Even earlier use of the property is evidenced by the presence of Native American “middens”, prehistoric deposits of clamshells and charcoal dating back at least to the 1400s. The first recorded purchase of the land was from the Hammonasset tribe in 1641.

In 1950, the property was acquired by Almon Miner Lippincott, a local house painter and avid aviation enthusiast.  His mother, Grace Lippincott, was well known as a published Madison poet. Lippincott was prohibited from using local public airfields because he was deaf and mute. He built a hangar and an airstrip long enough to accommodate his Piper Cub. He used these until he stopped flying in the early seventies. The hangar fell into disrepair. Nevertheless, before its eventual collapse, it remained a prominent landmark for canoeists of the lower Neck River and Bailey Creek. The concrete apron, which supported the hangar, still remains and today serves as the foundation for a wildlife observation platform, which was erected by the Trust.