Metropolitan Park System of Greater Boston

Pedestrian bridge, Charles River Esplanade, Boston, Massachusetts

Metropolitan Park System map

The Metropolitan Park System of Greater Boston is a system of reservations, parks, parkways and roads under the control of the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) in and around Boston that has been in existence for over a century.^[1] The title is used by the DCR to describe the areas collectively: "As a whole, the Metropolitan Park System is currently eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places", as outlined on the department's website.^[2] The DCR maintains a separate Urban Parks and Recreation division to oversee the system, one of five such divisions within the department—DCR's Bureau of State Parks and Recreation manages the remainder of Massachusetts state parks. Direct design and maintenance functions for the parkways and roads within the system are provided by the DCR Bureau of Engineering.^[3]

The park system consists of coastal reservations and beaches including Revere Beach, river reservations along the three major rivers in the area, such as the Charles River Reservation, and woodland reservations exemplified by Blue Hills Reservation south of the city. In addition, parks focusing on local history are located in Lynn and Roxbury. The DCR also manages a system of parkways which serve to connect the urban public to the open spaces; among these are busy streets such as Jamaicaway in Boston as well as secluded park roadways in uninhabited areas such as the Blue Hills Reservation Parkways.^[1]

History

The improvement of areas of undeveloped land, detrimental development, and polluted land in and around Boston for a system of interconnected parks was first conceived and promoted by landscape architect Charles Eliot and Sylvester Baxter, a Boston newspaper writer and city planning enthusiast.^[2][4] Eliot had apprenticed with Frederick Law Olmsted and later assumed leadership of Olmsted's design firm in 1893. Olmsted had been responsible for the development of Central Park in Manhattan and with Eliot had worked to create Boston's Emerald Necklace, a string of connected parks and waterways.^[5] Eliot was instrumental in the founding of The Trustees of Public Reservations (now The Trustees of Reservations) and the public Metropolitan Parks Commission in the 1890s and envisioned an expansion of the parks network to areas surrounding Boston.^[5]

The original Metropolitan Park Commission appointed by the legislature in 1892 consisted of Charles Francis Adams, Jr., Philip A. Chase and William B. de las Casas. The commission hired Baxter to serve as secretary and Eliot as landscape architect.^[6] The first five areas acquired by the commission for the system in 1893 were the Beaver Brook, Blue Hills, Hemlock Gorge, Middlesex Fells and Stony Brook Reservations.^[7] By 1900, the system had expanded to include several constructed or planned parkways and added beach reservations at King's Beach in Lynn, Nantasket Beach in Hull, Quincy Shore, Revere Beach, and reservations along the Charles, Mystic and Neponset Rivers.^[8]

In 1919, the commission was renamed the Metropolitan District Commission (MDC) after merging with the Metropolitan Water and Sewer Commission.^[2][9] Through the next 80 years the MDC became increasingly politicized and known as a haven for political patronage.^[10] Following a series of failures within the commission resulting in the pollution of Boston Harbor in the 1970s, the City of Quincy sued the MDC and the separate Boston Water and Sewer Commission in 1982, charging unchecked systemic pollution of the city’s waterfront. That suit was followed by one by the Conservation Law Foundation and finally by the United States Government, resulting in a landmark court-ordered cleanup of Boston Harbor.^[11] The lawsuits forced then Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis to propose separating the water and sewer treatment divisions from the MDC, resulting in the creation of the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority in 1985. Charges of political corruption and patronage continued to follow the MDC, while the loss of revenue from removal of the payments brought in by water and sewer services created a need for increased funding from the state legislature.^[9] The situation resulted in calls for the dismantlement of the MDC,^[9] which was realized when the MDC was dissolved by legislation in 2003. The Metropolitan Park System and other operations of the MDC were merged with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Management to form the current Department of Conservation and Recreation.^[12][13] In 2009, a study concerning the transfer of DCR managed roadways to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation was begun, following the transfer of all DCR non-pedestrian bridges as part of a major transportation reform law enacted that year.^[14][15]

Parks and reservations

The following table lists parks and reservations currently owned and maintained by the DCR Division of Urban Parks and Recreation, subdivided into sections based on environment as stated by the DCR, with year of formation, location within municipalities, site area and primary activities listed:

Metropolitan parks and reservations[1][16]
Coastal
Name	Year formed	Municipalities	Area in acres (hectares)	Activities
Belle Isle Marsh	1985[17]	Boston	241 (98)	Hiking, Scenery
Boston Harbor Islands	1970[18]	Boston, Hingham, Quincy, Weymouth	404 (163)	Boating, Camping, Fishing, History, Picnicking, Scenery, Swimming, Walking
Castle Island	1962[19]	Boston	22 (8.9)	Fishing, History, Picnicking, Scenery, Swimming, Walking
Dorchester Shores	1988[20]	Boston	41.3 (16.7)	Fishing, Picnicking, Swimming
Fort Revere Park	1988[21]	Hull	8 (3.2)	Events, History, Scenery
Lynn Shore	1896[22]	Lynn	22 (8.9)	Biking, Birding, Fishing, Playing Fields, Swimming
Nahant Beach	~1900[5]	Nahant	66.5 (26.9)	Boating, Fishing, Playing Fields, Swimming
Nantasket Beach	1899[23]	Hull	26 (11)	Biking, Swimming, Walking
Quincy Shore	1899[24]	Quincy	86 (35)	Biking, Fishing, Picnicking, Running, Swimming, Walking
Revere Beach	1896	Revere	84 (34)	Fishing, Picnicking, Playground, Swimming
Rumney Marsh	1992[25]	Saugus	600 (240)	Birding, Fishing, Hiking, Kayaking
Webb Memorial State Park	1977[26]	Weymouth	36 (15)	Canoeing, Picnicking, Scenery, Walking
Weymouth Back River	1987[27]	Hingham, Weymouth	35 (14)	Birding, Fishing, Hiking, Soccer
River
Alewife Brook	1906[28]	Arlington, Cambridge	120 (49)	Birding, Hiking, Playing Fields, Running, Tennis
Charles River	1896	Boston, Cambridge, Dover, Needham, Newton, Watertown, Wellesley, Weston	870 (350)	Athletic Fields, Boating, Canoeing, Concerts, Running, Sailing, Tennis, Walking
Chestnut Hill	2002[29]	Boston	120 (49)[29]	Fishing, History, Swimming Pool, Skating, Walking
Cutler Park	1962	Dedham, Needham, Newton	700 (280)	Hiking, Picnicking
Elm Bank	1995[30]	Dover	182 (74)	Birding, Fishing, Hiking, Kayaking, Museum
Hemlock Gorge	1895[31]	Needham, Newton	23 (9.3)	Hiking, Picnicking
Mystic River	1896	Arlington, Everett, Medford, Somerville	396 (160)	Biking, Boating, Hiking, Rowing, Running, Sailing, Soccer, Swimming, Tennis
Neponset River	1896	Boston, Canton, Milton	750 (300)	Birding, Boating, Fishing, Hiking, Kayaking
Pope John Paul II Park	2001	Boston	66 (27)	Birding, Hiking, Kayaking, Running, Soccer
Squantum Point Park	2001	Quincy	25 (10)	Birding, Canoeing, Inline Skating, Running, Scenery
Woodland
Beaver Brook	1893	Belmont, Waltham	59 (24)	Baseball, Birding, Hiking, Picnicking
Blue Hills	1893	Braintree, Canton, Milton, Quincy, Randolph	7,000 (2,800)	Camping, Fishing, Horseback Riding, Mountain Biking, Rock Climbing, Skiing, Swimming
Breakheart	1934	Saugus, Wakefield	640 (260)	Biking, Fishing, Hiking, Skiing, Swimming
Hammond Pond	1938[32]	Newton	59 (24)	Fishing, Hiking, Rock Climbing
Middlesex Fells	1894[33]	Malden, Medford, Melrose, Stoneham, Winchester	2,575 (1,042)	Canoeing, Fishing, Horseback Riding, Kayaking, Mountain Biking, Rock Climbing, Skiing
Quincy Quarries	1985[34]	Quincy	22 (8.9)	Hiking, Picnicking, Rock Climbing, Scenery
Southwest Corridor Park	1987	Boston	52 (21)	Basketball, Biking, Tennis, Walking
Stony Brook	1894	Boston, Dedham	475 (192)	Baseball, Biking, Fishing, Hiking, Picnicking, Swimming Pool, Skating Rink, Tennis
Wilson Mountain	1995	Dedham	213 (86)	Birding, Hiking
Heritage
Lynn Heritage State Park	1990	Lynn	4.2 (1.7)	History, Scenery, Walking
Roxbury Heritage State Park	1992	Roxbury	2.2 (0.89)	Architectural History, Community Programs, History

Notes

The open spaces of Boston in 1892 and 1902 compared in an illustration from a biography of Charles Eliot

1. ^ ^{a b c} "DCR: Division of Urban Parks and Recreation". Commonwealth of Massachusetts. http://www.mass.gov/dcr/metroboston.htm. Retrieved 8 December 2009. 
2. ^ ^{a b c} "Division of Urban Parks and Recreation History". Commonwealth of Massachusetts. http://www.mass.gov/dcr/uphistory.htm. Retrieved 8 December 2009. 
3. ^ "Planning and Engineering". Commonwealth of Massachusetts. http://www.mass.gov/dcr/planning.htm. Retrieved 8 December 2009. 
4. ^ Report of the Board of Metropolitan Park Commissioners. January, 1893.. Boston: Wright & Potter Printing Co. (no imprint). c.1893. pp. 16–19,31,88–89,91,108–109. 
5. ^ ^{a b c} Eliot, Charles William (1902). Charles Eliot, landscape architect. Cambridge, MA: Houghton, Mifflin. http://books.google.com/books?id=MloAAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA738#v=twopage&q=&f=false. Retrieved 2009-12-08. 
6. ^ Board of Paris Exposition Managers, Massachusetts Board of Metropolitan Park Commissioners, ed (1900). A History and Description of the Boston metropolitan parks. Boston: Wright & Potter Printing Co.. p. 32. OCLC 16896572. http://books.google.com/books?id=n9IUAAAAYAAJ&pg=RA1-PA32. Retrieved 2010-01-01. 
7. ^ Report of the Board of Metropolitan Park Commissioners, December 1916.. Boston: Wright & Potter Printing Co.. 1917. p. 9. http://books.google.com/books?id=6CtJAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA9. Retrieved 2009-12-13. 
8. ^ Board of Paris Exposition Managers, Massachusetts Board of Metropolitan Park Commissioners, ed (1900). A History and Description of the Boston metropolitan parks. Boston: Wright & Potter Printing Co.. p. 34. OCLC 16896572. http://books.google.com/books?id=n9IUAAAAYAAJ&pg=RA1-PA32. Retrieved 2010-01-01. 
9. ^ ^{a b c} Leccese, Mark (2003). "Enhancing Regional Greenfrastructure". Rappaport Institute for Greater Boston/Harvard University. http://www.hks.harvard.edu/rappaport/downloads/metroparks_greenfrastructure.PDF. Retrieved 11 January 2010. 
10. ^ Dolin, Eric Jay (2004). Political waters: the long, dirty, contentious, incredibly expensive but eventually triumphant history of Boston Harbor--a unique environmental success story. Amherst, Massachusetts: University of Massachusetts Press. ISBN 9781558494459. http://books.google.com/books?id=G6rcthRoifcC. Retrieved 2010-01-11. 
11. ^ Mazzone, Hon. A. David. "Mazzone, Judge A. David : Chamber Papers on the Boston Harbor Clean Up Case, 1985-2005". http://www.lib.umb.edu/node/1620. Retrieved 2009-06-11. 
12. ^ "Mass Moments: Massachusetts Creates Nation’s First Regional Park System". Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities. http://www.massmoments.org/moment.cfm?mid=164. Retrieved 11 January 2010. 
13. ^ "Watershed Supply Protection Trust". Commonwealth of Massachusetts. http://www.mass.gov/dcr/waterSupply/watershed/trust.htm. Retrieved 11 January 2010. 
14. ^ "Chapter 25 of the Acts of 2009 (Section 177)". The 186th General Court of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts. http://www.mass.gov/legis/laws/seslaw09/sl090025.htm. Retrieved 2009-11-05. 
15. ^ Pazzanese, Christina (September 12, 2009). "A big concern on two major parkways". The Boston Globe. http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/09/12/a_big_concern_on_two_major_parkways/. Retrieved 2009-11-05. 
16. ^ Areas, years formed and municipalities are listed on DCR web pages for some, but not all, parks. Where the DCR page contains unclear information, the data is either from a cited source or from the Office of Geographic and Environmental Information (MassGIS), Commonwealth of Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental Affairs "Protected and Recreational Open Space" datalayer. Area figures from the datalayer may represent a larger space than is accessible to the public, due to the inclusion of administrative or undeveloped sections of a given park.
17. ^ "Friends of Belle Isle Marsh". http://www.friendsofbelleislemarsh.org/. Retrieved 8 January 2010. 
18. ^ "Boston Harbor Islands State Park". Arnoldia (Boston: President and Trustees of Harvard College) 48 (3): 21–22. 1988. http://arnoldia.arboretum.harvard.edu/pdf/articles/742.pdf. Retrieved 2010-01-10. 
19. ^ "The Boston Harborwalk: Learn about history". The Boston Harbor Association. http://www.bostonharborwalk.com/thingstodo/?aid=5. Retrieved 10 January 2010. 
20. ^ "Boston Harbor Islands State Park". Arnoldia (Boston: President and Trustees of Harvard College) 48 (3): 14. 1988. http://arnoldia.arboretum.harvard.edu/pdf/articles/740.pdf. Retrieved 2010-01-10. 
21. ^ "Healthy Communities Grant Program 2007". Town of Hull. p. 26. http://www.town.hull.ma.us/Public_Documents/HullMA_SustainComm/HealthyCommGrant.pdf. Retrieved 11 January 2010. 
22. ^ Adams, Charles Francis (1896). Report of the Board of Metropolitan Park Commissioners. BiblioBazaar, LLC. ISBN 9780554555096. http://books.google.com/books?id=ALbRrk3fZsoC&pg=PA14&lpg=PA14&. Retrieved 2010-01-11.  (King's Beach acquired)
23. ^ City charter, chapter 283, acts of 1897, ordinances of 1898, standing regulations, statutes relating to the city. Newton, MA: City of Newton. http://books.google.com/books?id=sRwbAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA242. Retrieved 2010-01-11. 
24. ^ "Wollaston Beach". City of Quincy. http://www.quincyma.gov/Government/PARK/WollastonBeach.cfm. Retrieved 11 December 2009. 
25. ^ "Rumney Marsh". http://www.reverebeach.com/rumneymarsh/history1.html. Retrieved 11 January 2010. ^{[dead link]}
26. ^ "Island Facts: Webb Memorial State Park". United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service. http://www.nps.gov/boha/historyculture/facts-webb.htm. Retrieved 11 January 2010. 
27. ^ "Stodder's Neck/Abigail Adams Park". Commonwealth of Massachusetts. http://www.mass.gov/dcr/parks/metroboston/weymouth.htm. Retrieved 13 December 2009.  (Land acquired for Abigail Adams State Park, added to Stodder's Neck to form reservation)
28. ^ Private and special statutes of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Volume 20. Boston: Commonwealth of Massachusetts. 1909. pp. 293. http://books.google.com/books?id=0iwWAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA293. Retrieved 2010-01-11. 
29. ^ ^{a b} "Chestnut Hill Reservation: Resource Management Plan". Commonwealth of Massachusetts. http://www.mass.gov/dcr/stewardship/rmp/rmp-chHill.htm. Retrieved 10 January 2010. 
30. ^ "Annual Report". Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Office of the Inspector General. 1996. pp. 17. http://www.mass.gov/ig/publ/annrpt96.pdf. Retrieved 11 January 2010. 
31. ^ "Hemlock Gorge". Newton Conservators. http://www.newtonconservators.org/21hemlock.htm. Retrieved 11 November 2010. 
32. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2008-04-15. http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/natreg/docs/All_Data.html.  (Parkway construction begun)
33. ^ "History". Friends of the Fells. http://www.fells.org/thefells/history.cfm. Retrieved 9 January 2010. 
34. ^ Walsh, Patrick J. (December 13, 2009). "Of granite, plugs, and feathers". The Boston Globe. http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2009/12/13/of_granite_plugs_and_feathers/?page=2. Retrieved 11 January 2010.