MATTAPOISETT — Paul “Ozzie” Osenkowsi of the Mattapoisett Land Trust walked sixty-one fifth graders from Old Hammondtown School to Dexter “Tub” Mill Park, a four acre property with waterfalls, lawns and trees.

The board member and steward of many of the almost 800 acres of property owned by Mattapoisett Land Trust gave a historical and present day “talk and walk” along the restored granite foundation.

He told the students, teachers, chaperones and education committee members how the Dexter Mill water powered sawmill-manufactured wooden staves for tubs and barrels in whaling ships that were built near the Mattapoisett harbor.

“The Tub Mill brook flows north through the property, over the mill race under Route 6 to Eel Pond and into the Mattapoisett Harbor,” he said.

Osenkowsi pointed out the dam, and how it functions, the mill race, and the iron turbine which was hauled out of the water and remains on land. Students asked about the pond and the building structure that no longer exists. In 1911, the sawmill burned down and the pond where ice skating was a popular winter activity is now completely overgrown.

Students learned that cod and herring were caught in the water, and that the Dexter Elm Tree was a trolley stop.

Osenkowsi said that in the future Mattapoisett Land Trust hopes to restore the pond and place a kiosk with historical photos indicating the original mill and noting its importance to the shipbuilding industry. Protective railings will be installed near the water and large boulders to make the property less dangerous for unsupervised children.