Metropolitan Park System of Greater Boston facts for kids

Pedestrian bridge, Charles River Esplanade, Boston, Massachusetts

Metropolitan Park System map

The Metropolitan Park System of Greater Boston is a collection of amazing parks, beaches, and roads in and around Boston. These green spaces have been around for over 100 years! They are managed by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR). The DCR sees this whole system as very important, even saying it could be listed as a historic place. This shows how special these parks are. The DCR has a special team just to look after these parks.

This park system includes beautiful beaches like Revere Beach, and riverside parks along major rivers such as the Charles River Reservation. There are also large forest areas like Blue Hills Reservation south of Boston. Some parks even focus on local history in places like Lynn and Roxbury. The DCR also looks after roads called parkways. These roads help people get from the busy city to these peaceful open spaces. Some are busy streets, while others are quiet roads in nature areas.

History of Boston's Parks

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

Early Ideas for Parks

The idea for a connected system of parks around Boston came from some very smart people. These included landscape architects Charles Eliot and Warren H. Manning, along with writer Sylvester Baxter. They wanted to turn undeveloped or polluted land into beautiful parks. Eliot and Manning had learned from Frederick Law Olmsted, who designed Central Park in Manhattan. Olmsted and Eliot had already created Boston's famous Emerald Necklace, which is a chain of parks and waterways.

Eliot and Manning dreamed of making even more parks around Boston. They helped create a group called The Trustees of Public Reservations. They also helped set up a public group called the Metropolitan Parks Commission in the 1890s.

Creating the Metropolitan Park Commission

The Metropolitan Park Commission was officially started in 1892 by the state's government, the legislature. Important people like Charles Francis Adams, Jr. were part of this first commission. They hired Sylvester Baxter as their secretary and Charles Eliot as their landscape architect.

The very first five areas bought for the park system in 1893 were Beaver Brook, Blue Hills, Hemlock Gorge, Middlesex Fells, and Stony Brook Reservation. By 1900, the park system had grown a lot! It included new roads (parkways) and beaches like King's Beach in Lynn, Nantasket Beach in Hull, Quincy Shore, and Revere Beach. Parks were also added along the Charles, Mystic, and Neponset Rivers.

Changes to the Park System Management

In 1919, the commission changed its name to the Metropolitan District Commission (MDC). For many years, the MDC managed the parks, but it also handled water and sewer services. Over time, there were problems, including pollution in Boston Harbor.

Because of these problems, the state decided to make big changes. In 1985, the water and sewer parts of the MDC were separated to create the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority. This helped clean up Boston Harbor. Later, in 2003, the MDC was officially closed down. Its park operations were then combined with another state department to form the current Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR). So, the DCR is now in charge of looking after these wonderful parks for everyone to enjoy!

Parks and Reservations

The table below lists the parks and reservations that are currently managed by the DCR. They are grouped by their environment, like coastal areas, river areas, woodlands, and historical sites. You can see when each park was created, where it is located, how big it is, and what fun activities you can do there!