Baxter Pond
By Paul Maurantonio

Guggenheim Elementary School
Mrs. Deriu, Grade 4

Baxter Pond is a beautiful place to enjoy nature. There are many animals that live in the trees, bushes, stream and pond. I like to walk around the pond and see all the different wildlife that lives there. My favorite are the geese and the caterpillars. In the spring time the geese families walk around the pond and the babies are so cute. The squirrels are all running around probably looking for the nuts they hid in the winter. My dad and I ride our bicycles there and just sit under the tall old trees that surround the pond.

You can go there in the spring, summer, fall and winter and it is a magical place. It is magical because there so many different things to see, flowers, trees and animals. It is like you are not in Port Washington. I feel lucky to have a nice place like Baxter Pond to go to and explore. On a hot summer day sitting under the cool tall trees is a great place to be. We even went there with our school. We went on nature walks and had a boat race in third grade. We need to take care of special places like Baxter Pond. It is a place we can go with our family and friends and relax.

Baxter Pond is named after the Baxter family that lived near where the pond is today. The Baxter's were shipbuilders, sea captains, whalers, and blacksmiths. An old survey of the Baxter land shows that even an Indian wigwam was located near Baxter's Pond. Some think that an Indian village maybe was at this spot. It is fun to go to a park that has been around for such a long time. In the old days people even went ice-skating on the pond. They had bonfires around the pond to keep warm. Baxter Pond is one of my favorite places to go to in Port Washington.