Trail Talk in Topsfield
My apologies for not mentioning the hard work of the the Topsfield Rail Trail Committee for putting on such a lovely event. The Topsfield Historical Society donated the meeting space in their Gould Barn.
Despite the foul weather, Rachel & Harry Banks and I nipped over to Topsfield to catch the Trail Talk evening program organized by the Topsfield Trail Committee. There was of course a large contingent of Topsfield residents getting used to the idea of having their own trail as part of the entire Border to Boston corridor. For them Craig Della Penna’s excellent rail to trails 101 slideshow must have been very encouraging. When we can predict filling an entire hall, I am certain we can get Craig up here with his pretty pictures of successful trails and happy towns.
There was also a smattering of folks from area trails, Salisbury, Haverhill, Danvers, Wakefield etc. The highlight of MY evening was the short discussion given by Atty Steven Winslow regarding liability and rail trails. My thumbnail description would be that the liability for abutting homeowners for the trail is the same as it would be for the sidewalk or street in front of their home. Your homeowner’s policy should protect you. And the towns liability coverage would extend to the trail as it would with any newly acquired property. 
Statistically events ON the trail are exceedingly rare, to me this is sounding like a non issue, sort of the last bastion of the anti-trail argument.
I wish I had thought to take pictures of the circa 1710 post and beam construction of the Gould Barn. It was a swell little meetinghouse.
