Boston Common & Public Garden
The Cochituate Aqueduct made its grand opening on October 25, 1848 on Boston Common as water shot into the air at the Frog Pond. Celebrations continued for several days as Boston enjoyed its new two billion gallon water supply from Lake Cochituate in Natick, MA.
Today, you can still enjoy the water at the Frog Pond in the summer and skate on it during the winter.
The town of Boston purchased the land for Boston Common for £30 in 1634 and was used for pasture land during the next two centuries. Serving as the site of many public hangings and used as a British camp during the Occupation, this 50-acre land was set aside as the first public park in the United States in 1830 under neighbor and Mayor Harrison Gray Otis.
In 1942, Robert McCloskey received the Caledcott Medal, an award by the Association for Library Service to Children, for his illustrations in Make Way for Ducklings.
The Mallards have been immortalized in the Public Garden through the bronze sculpture of Nancy Schön.
Today, Boston Common continues as a park for the people serving as a gathering place for concerts, protests, memorials, and celebrations.
Across Charles Street, the 24-acre Public Garden is the first botanical garden in the United States established in 1837. Once part of the Back Bay marsh, this planned garden features statues, fountains, a lagoon and the world's smallest suspension bridge.
The Common and the Public Garden provide a peaceful refuge from the hustle of downtown Boston.
