Franklin Park, Boston

Infobox_protected_area | name = Franklin Park
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location = Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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lat_direction = N
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long_direction = W
area = convert|527|acre|km2
established = 19th Century
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governing_body = The City of Boston, Parks Department

Franklin Park, a partially-wooded convert|527|acre|km2|sing=on parkland in the Jamaica Plain and Roxbury neighborhoods of Boston, Massachusetts, is maintained by the Department of Conservation and Recreation. It is Boston's biggest park and the site of Franklin Park Zoo.

General description

Considered a country park when it was formed in the 19th century, Franklin Park is the largest and last component of the Emerald Necklace created by Frederick Law Olmsted. Although often neglected in the past, it is considered the "crown jewel" of Olmsted's work in Greater Boston. [ [http://www.emeraldnecklace.org/index.cgi?page=franklinpark Emerald Necklace Conservancy] ] [ [http://www.franklinparkcoalition.org/park-history/ Franklin Park Coalition] ]

Named for Boston-born patriot Benjamin Franklin, the park brings together rural scenery, a woodland preserve, and areas for active recreation and sports. Franklin Park also has six miles (10 km) of roads and fifteen miles (24 km) of pedestrian and bridle paths to explore. [ [http://www.emeraldnecklace.org/index.cgi?page=franklinpark Emerald Necklace Conservancy] ] [In its early stages, Franklin Park was known as "West Roxbury Park" as this area was considered West Roxbury rather than Jamaica Plain and Roxbury, as it is today. ("Franklin Park Notes" by Richard Health, January 22, 1981 edition of "Jamaica Plain Citizen")]

Much of Franklin Park is scenic and devoted to the general use and enjoyment of the public. Scarboro Pond and Ellicott Arch are popular sites within the park, as are the large forested areas. The park also has picnic areas, stone bridges, outcroppings of Roxbury Puddingstone, and old stone ruins, specifically the Long Crouch Woods of Roxbury—also known as "the Bear Dens." [ [http://fpc.squarespace.com/ Franklin Park: Heart of Boston ] ] [ [http://www.emeraldnecklace.org/index.cgi?page=franklinpark Emerald Necklace Conservancy] ] [ [http://ksgaccman.harvard.edu/hotc/DisplayPlace.asp?id=11601 Database of Greenspaces and Neighborhoods in the heart of Boston ] ]

Zoo

Franklin Park Zoo is located within park grounds. The 72 acre site zoo has such exotic animals as western lowland gorillas, a white tiger, and a herd of Grevy's zebra. Franklin Park Zoo is one of the oldest zoos in North America and it is the largest zoo in New England. [ [http://www.franklinparkzoo.org/index.cfm?nodeID=2&stopRedirect=1 Franklin Park Zoo] ]

Long Crouch Woods

The Long Crouch Woods—also known as "the Bear Dens"—are owned by the City of Boston's Department of Parks and Recreation in Roxbury, Massachusetts. Once the focus of the zoo, the Bear Dens were designed and built in 1912, and were planned to have a small collection of domestic animals. The original grounds featured a grand staircase leading to a large courtyard, framed by several large iron bear cages. One of these cages featured a detailed stone sculpture of bears and the crest of the City of Boston. [ [http://ksgaccman.harvard.edu/hotc/DisplayPlace.asp?id=11601 Database of Greenspaces and Neighborhoods in the heart of Boston ] ] Plans of expanding the Long Crouch Woods section of the zoo never came to fruition. As the grounds deteriorated, and as the Parks Department neglected many of the landscape's most basic management needs, the Bear Dens became too expensive to maintain. With this — combined with the looming violence of the Roxbury race riots of the 1950s that drove many visitors from the zoo — the Bear Dens were officially abandoned in 1954.

Efforts have been made since 1980 to make Long Crouch Woods into a nature preserve with a snack bar and theatre facility, however, plans have continued to stall. Today, it continues to be an area used for illicit activities and illegal dumping. The Franklin Park Coalition cleared the trash out of the area in 2002, and in 2007 was awarded a grant of $36,000 for materials and professional landscaping work to restore paths in the Long Crouch Woods area of Franklin Park. The project will be completed with labor from summer youth crews comprised of at-risk teens from the surrounding area. [ [http://www.smithfamilyfoundation.net/grantees.htm Grantees ] ]

Athletic areas

Franklin Park contains the eighteen-hole William J. Devine golf course (the second oldest public course in the nation) as well as tennis courts, baseball fields, and several basketball courts. Boston RFC play their matches at the park. There are large open areas used for lacrosse and soccer. One area of the park is used for cricket on Sunday afternoons. The park is a famed cross country course, hosting a number of high school and collegiate meets throughout the year. Franklin Park is home to the Massachusetts All-States Meet as well as the NCAA Northeast Regional Championship every other year (alternating with Van Courtlandt Park in New York City). The park includes courses for 3000 meters, 5000 meters, 6000 meters, 8000 meters and 10000 meters. Franklin Park also won the honor of hosting the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in 1992, as a special 12.5 kilometer course was used for competition. Each course includes variants of 3 major loops, the stadium loop, the Bear Cage hill loop, and the wilderness loop. The stadium loop simply goes around the back of White Stadium, while the Bear Cage loop climbs the fairly significant Bear Cage Hill. The wilderness loop crosses into the wooded area of the park and follows a twisting path through the trees. There are many concerns regarding continued use of the park as a racing facility, including erosion and disturbances of residents who wish to use the park for walks or peaceful bike rides. As races are hosted almost every Saturday (and a good number of Sundays) this issue will continue to be controversial. [ [http://fpc.squarespace.com/ Franklin Park: Heart of Boston ] ] [ [http://www.emeraldnecklace.org/index.cgi?page=franklinpark William J. Devine Gold Course] ]

Playhouse

Franklin Park has an open-air public performance space known as the "Playhouse in the Park". This area has featured such renowned musicians as the Billy Taylor Trio and the Boston Pops. [ [http://fpc.squarespace.com/our-history/ Playhouse in the Park] ]

choolmaster Hill

Before the park was created, an unhappy local teacher named Ralph Waldo Emerson lived in a small cabin atop what is now named "Schoolmaster Hill". Emerson drew upon the landscape for inspiration for nature poetry and essays. Besides a plaque devoted to Emerson's memory, Schoolmaster Hill offers a spectacular view of the Blue Hills. [ [http://fpc.squarespace.com/storage/historical-documents/Emerson%20page%201-11.PDF Ralph Waldo Emerson: The Schoolmaster of Franklin Park (pdf format)] ]

References

External links

* [http://www.emeraldnecklace.org/index.cgi Emerald Necklace Conservancy]
* [http://www.franklinparkzoo.org/index.cfm?nodeID=2&stopRedirect=1 Zoo New England]
* [http://www.franklinparkcoalition.org/ Franklin Park Coalition]
* [http://www.franklinparkcoalition.org/park-history/ Franklin Park history & details]