Boston Common

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For the television series, see Boston Common (TV series)

Boston Common is Boston, Massachusetts' most famous public park and the oldest city park in the United States, dating as far back as 1634. It is 50 acres (202,000 m²) in size. The Common is bounded by Tremont St., Park St., Beacon St., Charles St., and Boylston St. A visitors' center for all of Boston is on the Tremont Street side of the park.

Its purpose has changed over the years. Originally it was owned by William Blaxton (often given the modernized spelling "Blackstone") until it was bought from him by the city. It was used as a camp by the British before the Revolutionary War, and was where they left from for the Battle of Lexington and Concord. Up until 1830, it was used for cattle grazing. It was also used for public hangings up until 1817, most of which were from a large oak which was replaced with gallows in 1769. Mary Dyer was hanged there in 1660.

Today it serves as a public park for all to use for formal or informal gatherings, or just to enjoy the park and its surroundings. Events such as concerts, protests, softball games, and ice skating (on Frog Pond) often take place in the park. Famous individuals, such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Pope John Paul II, have also made speeches at the Common.

The Central Burying Ground is found on the Boylston Street side of Boston Common. There one can find the burial sites of the artist Gilbert Stuart and the composer William Billings.

Notable features of the Common

• The Massachusetts State House stands across Beacon Street from the north edge of the Common.
• The Common forms the south foot of Beacon Hill.
• The monument to Robert Gould Shaw and the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry stands at Beacon and Park Streets, the northeast corner of the Common.
• The Boston Public Garden lies to the west of the Common, across Charles Street, and was originally considered an extension of the Common.
• Frog Pond, a public ice-skating rink in winter months.
• Park Street Station, the first subway station in America, stands at the northeast corner of the park.
• Likewise, Boylston Station at the southeast corner is America's second subway station.
• A Civil War monument stands in the north central part of the park.
• Boston Common is the south end of Boston's Freedom Trail.
• Parkman Bandstand, in the east part of the park, is commonly used in musical and theatrical productions in the park.
• The softball fields lie in the southwest corner of the Common.
• A grassy area forms the west part of the park, and is most commonly used for the park's largest events. A parking garage underlies this part of the Common.
• The Province of Nova Scotia has donated the annual Christmas tree for the Common as an enduring thank-you for the relief efforts of the Boston Red Cross and the Massachusetts Public Safety Committee following the Halifax Explosion of 1917.

See also

• Granary Burying Ground
• King's Chapel burying ground

External links

• * Satellite image from [WikiMapia], [Google Maps] or [Windows Live Local]
• * Street map from [MapQuest] or [Google Maps]
• * Topographic map from [TopoZone]
• * Aerial image from [TerraServer-USA]

• [A View on Cities article on Boston Common]

 

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From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.

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