BELCHERTOWN — The Belchertown Police Department is requesting that parents speak with their children about respecting the McPherson Sensory Garden after its historic stone walls were found damaged.
“This time, the vandalism was unbelievable,” McPherson Garden Committee Chair Patricia Barry said. “They didn’t just not knock stones off. They threw them 30 feet away.”
In a statement on social media, Belchertown Police said youth and children walking through or using the recreational facilities on State Street were likely behind the vandalism. The garden is located near several Belchertown Public School buildings and behind a baseball field and basketball and pickleball courts.
It is common to see trash around the garden or stones knocked off by people who lean or sit on the wall, Barry said. This time the damage was far more intentional.
The sensory garden on 47 State St. revived the former garden cultivated by Mabel Alden Forrest McPherson, the wife of Belchertown State School’s first superintendent. The wall dates to 1926, but the sensory garden was created in the 1970s for the blind unit at the institution.
Over the last five years, a group of volunteers and donors have planted new flowers, upkept the space and added accessible paths. Today the garden serves as a peaceful meeting and celebration area for residents.
“This is our baby,” Barry said. “We’ve done a lot of good work up there. It’s for the town, the people of the town. We will keep doing it as long as we can, but the vandalism is so disheartening.”
