Pettus Hill Preserve

Charles "Chuck" Pettus was well-known and highly regarded in both his professional and personal life. He was known throughout the community for his work with youth and was among the first African-Americans to work for IBM. A retired IBM Physicist and Engineer and a longtime musician and naturalist, he spent the latter years of his life on the 103-acre hilltop up on Abbey Road he called home. 

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In 1990, Mr. Pettus attempted to make his property the "highest point in Broome County" by constructing a "pyramid" of soil and rock at the highest elevation on his hilltop. He fell short of his goal but his constructed "pyramid" still stands and so does the vernal pool from which soil for the pyramid was excavated. This vernal pool has become a home for many amphibians and aquatic invertebrates!

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Pettus held a firm belief that you should appreciate what you have and give back to others to make the world a better place for everyone. Wanting to share his beloved West Windsor hilltop with all, especially young people, Chuck Pettus bequeathed it to the Fred L. Waterman Conservation Education Center in his Will. He passed away in 2013 knowing that many others would be able to experience the natural beauty and serenity of his woodland property and that it would remain "forever wild."

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Most of the trails at the Pettus Hill Preserve have been named in Chuck Pettus' honor including the "Chuck's Roller Dome" loop trail. The yellow-marked trail is a reference to a roller rink in Endicott that Chuck ran for many years. The main trail is the Pettus Memorial Pathway stretching from the parking lot to the pyramid.  Along the blue-marked trail folks can see the pond created during the "pyramids" construction along with a shelter with benches built by Eagle Scout Phillip Card of Windsor Boy Scout Troop 68.

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On Sunday, May 19, 2019, the Waterman Center hosted the grand opening of the Pettus Hill Preserve. Many came out to celebrate this special event made possible by the generosity of the late Charles Pettus whose love for nature and community will live on through his beautiful hilltop preserve.