Editing Ashby, Massachusetts (section)

==== Watatic Ski Area ====
[[Mount Watatic]], located in the towns of Ashburnham and Ashby, was once home to a small ski area that operated from the 1930s until its closure in 1984. The ski area started with a small rope tow and expanded to the summit some time later, thought to be in the 1960s. At its height, the ski area had snow making and night skiing, impressive features at the time. The area also included multiple rope tows, two T-bars and double chairs that eventually replaced the old rope tows and one T-bar. In 1984, the ski area eventually succumbed to competition and its poor location in relation to major roads. There was one attempt to reopen the ski area in 1988, under the name Ski Adventure that was ultimately unsuccessful. The land of the former ski area is currently held in conservation and is accessible to the public for hiking. Hikers can find the old, grown-in trails and remnants of the area's structures still visible on the back side of the mountain.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mount Watatic Ski Area |url=https://www.nelsap.org/ma/watatic.html |access-date=March 11, 2022 |website=www.nelsap.org}}</ref>

Mount Watatic was also once home to state fire tower #31 that looked out over central Massachusetts at an elevation above sea level of 1590 feet. Phone lines to the tower ran up the Ashby and Ashburnham sides of the mountain over the years.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Massachusetts Fire Towers - Ashburnham |url=https://www.firelookout.org/lookouts/ma/ashburnham.htm |access-date=March 11, 2022 |website=www.firelookout.org}}</ref>