Mary Cummings Park facts for kids
Mary Cummings Park is a large public park located in Woburn and Burlington, Massachusetts. It covers about 210 acres (0.85 square kilometers), which is a huge space for nature and outdoor fun! This beautiful park used to be a farm and a private estate. Today, it's a place where everyone can enjoy nature, walk on trails, and have fun outdoors.
A Park for Everyone
The park became public in 1930. Mary Cummings, the person who owned the land, gave it to the City of Boston. She had a special wish: she wanted the land to be "forever open as a public pleasure ground." This means she wanted it to always be a free and open space for people to enjoy.
Over the years, Mary Cummings Park has been used for many fun activities. It has hosted day camps like "Camp Joy" and "Kamp for Kidz," where children could spend their summer days. It was also home to "Woburn Gardens," a special garden for school children to learn about plants.
Today, the park offers several miles of trails. These trails are perfect for walking, running, or exploring nature. You might even see a radio-controlled model airplane flying in one of the open fields! A club for model airplanes uses and helps maintain one of these fields.
How Big is Mary Cummings Park?
At 210 acres, Mary Cummings Park is one of the biggest public parks in the Greater Boston area. It's located inside the main highway loop, which includes Route 95 and Route 128. This makes it a large green space close to many towns and cities.
A Piece of History
During the Cold War, which was a time of tension between countries, the United States government needed some land from the park. About 26 acres (105,218 square meters) were taken by the government for a special purpose. This process is called eminent domain, where the government can take private land for public use, even if the owner doesn't want to sell it. In this case, the land was used for a nike missile site, which was a place to store and launch defensive missiles.
Later, Northeastern University bought this land for their campus in Burlington. So, a small part of the original park became part of the university.
