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. 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. 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.
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.
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 architects Charles Eliot and Warren H. Manning, as well as Sylvester Baxter, a Boston newspaper writer and city planning enthusiast. Eliot and Manning had apprenticed with Frederick Law Olmsted and Eliot later assumed leadership of Olmsted's design firm in 1893, with Manning leaving the firm in 1896. 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. Eliot and Manning were 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.
The Metropolitan Park Commission was established in 1892 and appointed by the legislature. It 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.
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. 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. Architect William D. Austin designed many buildings for the commission.
In 1919, the commission was renamed the Metropolitan District Commission (MDC) after merging with the Metropolitan Water and Sewer Commission. Through the next 80 years the MDC became increasingly politicized and known as a haven for political patronage. 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. 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. The situation resulted in calls for the dismantlement of the MDC, 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. 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.
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 reservationsAreas, 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.Coastal Name Year formed Municipalities Area inacres (hectares) ActivitiesBelle Isle Marsh1985Boston241 ()Hiking, SceneryBoston Harbor Islands1970Boston, Hingham, Quincy, Weymouth404 ()Boating, Camping, Fishing, History, Picnicking, Scenery, Swimming, WalkingCastle Island1962Boston22 ()Fishing, History, Picnicking, Scenery, Swimming, WalkingDorchester Shores1988Boston41.3 ()Fishing, Picnicking, SwimmingFort Revere Park1988Hull8 ()Events, History, SceneryLynn Shore1896 (King's Beach acquired)Lynn22 ()Biking, Birding, Fishing, Playing Fields, SwimmingNahant Beach~1900Nahant66.5 ()Boating, Fishing, Playing Fields, SwimmingNantasket Beach1899Hull26 ()Biking, Swimming, WalkingQuincy Shore1899Quincy86 ()Biking, Fishing, Picnicking, Running, Swimming, WalkingRevere Beach1896Revere84 ()Fishing, Picnicking, Playground, SwimmingRumney Marsh1992Saugus600 ()Birding, Fishing, Hiking, KayakingWebb Memorial State Park1977Weymouth36 ()Canoeing, Picnicking, Scenery, WalkingWeymouth Back River1987 (Land acquired for Abigail Adams State Park, added to Stodder's Neck to form reservation)Hingham, Weymouth35 ()Birding, Fishing, Hiking, SoccerRiverAlewife Brook1906Arlington, Cambridge120 ()Birding, Hiking, Playing Fields, Running, TennisCharles River1896Boston, Cambridge, Dover, Needham, Newton, Watertown, Wellesley, Weston870 ()Athletic Fields, Boating, Canoeing, Concerts, Running, Sailing, Tennis, WalkingChestnut Hill2002Boston120 ()Fishing, History, Swimming Pool, Skating, WalkingCutler Park1962Dedham, Needham, Newton700 ()Hiking, PicnickingElm Bank1995Dover182 ()Birding, Fishing, Hiking, Kayaking, MuseumHemlock Gorge1895Needham, Newton23 ()Hiking, PicnickingMystic River1896Arlington, Everett, Medford, Somerville396 ()Biking, Boating, Hiking, Rowing, Running, Sailing, Soccer, Swimming, TennisNeponset River1896Boston, Canton, Milton750 ()Birding, Boating, Fishing, Hiking, KayakingPope John Paul II Park2001Boston66 ()Birding, Hiking, Kayaking, Running, SoccerSquantum Point Park2001Quincy25 ()Birding, Canoeing, Inline Skating, Running, SceneryWoodlandBeaver Brook1893Belmont, Waltham59 ()Baseball, Birding, Hiking, PicnickingBlue Hills1893Braintree, Canton, Milton, Quincy, Randolph7,000 ()Camping, Fishing, Horseback Riding, Mountain Biking, Rock Climbing, Skiing, SwimmingBreakheart1934Saugus, Wakefield640 ()Biking, Fishing, Hiking, Skiing, SwimmingHammond Pond1938 (Parkway construction begun)Newton59 ()Fishing, Hiking, Rock ClimbingMiddlesex Fells1894Malden, Medford, Melrose, Stoneham, Winchester2,575 ()Canoeing, Fishing, Horseback Riding, Kayaking, Mountain Biking, Rock Climbing, SkiingQuincy Quarries1985Quincy22 ()Hiking, Picnicking, Rock Climbing, ScenerySouthwest Corridor Park1987Boston52 ()Basketball, Biking, Tennis, WalkingStony Brook1894Boston, Dedham475 ()Baseball, Biking, Fishing, Hiking, Picnicking, Swimming Pool, Skating Rink, TennisWilson Mountain1995Dedham213 ()Birding, HikingHeritageLynn Heritage State Park1990Lynn4.2 ()History, Scenery, WalkingRoxbury Heritage State Park1992Roxbury2.2 ()Architectural History, Community Programs, History
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