HILLTOWN HISTORY Chester’s Robbins Trestle is located on Blandford Road in Chester right next to Walker Island Campground. That big granite wall you see is the old base of it. The Chester and Becket Railroad crossed here.  Robbins owned a sawmill beneath it before the yellow house was there. The original trestle was wood but burned with engine sparks and the lumber mill waste below. A steel replacement trestle was built around 1910. In 1896 the main road was referred to as Lee Road (now Route 20).  On the survey blueprints the new locations of Route 20 and Walker Brook are shown.  This entire section at the Becket/Chester town lines has been completely changed because of its dangerous curves and wild Walker Brook which rages with heavy rainfall. Blandford Road is projected to change again by relocating the Walker Brook bridge for a more direct interchange with Route 20, taking more of Robbins property to do so.  This bridge is heavily rotted and often tractor trailers get hung up on it, maybe Robbins crossing is just cursed? Makes you think!

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