Boston Common (also known as the Common) is a central public park in downtown Boston, Massachusetts. It is sometimes erroneously referred to as the Boston Commons. Dating from 1634, it is the oldest city park in the United States. The Boston Common consists of 50 acres (20 ha) of land bounded by Tremont Street (139 Tremont St.), Park Street, Beacon Street, Charles Street, and Boylston Street. The Common is part of the Emerald Necklace of parks and parkways that extend from the Common south to Franklin Park in Jamaica Plain, Roxbury, and Dorchester. A visitors’ center for all of Boston is located on the Tremont Street side of the park.
The Central Burying Ground is located on the Boylston Street side of Boston Common and contains the burial sites of the artist Gilbert Stuart and the composer William Billings. Also buried there are Samuel Sprague and his son, Charles Sprague, one of America’s earliest poets. Samuel Sprague was a participant in the Boston Tea Party and fought in the Revolutionary War. The Common was designated as a Boston Landmark by the Boston Landmarks Commission in 1977. LadyB’s Bed Bug Pros Boston
Boston Common originally included the entire block northeast of where Park Street is now, bounded by Beacon Street and Tremont Street. What is now called the Granary Burying Ground was established on this land in 1660 as part of the Common. In 1662, the land was separated from the Common; the southwest portion of the block was taken for public buildings, including the Granary and a house of correction, and the north portion of the block was used for housing. The Common’s purpose has changed over the years. It was once owned by William Blaxton (often given the modernized spelling “Blackstone”), the first European settler of Boston until it was bought from him in 1634 by the Puritan founders of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. During the 1630s, it was used by many families as a cow pasture. However, this only lasted for a few years, as affluent families bought additional cows, which led to overgrazing, a real-life example of the “tragedy of the commons.” After grazing was limited in 1646 to 70 cows at a time, the Boston Common continued to host cows until they were formally banned from it in 1830 by Mayor Harrison Gray Otis.
Restaurants and Pubs
- Busy Bee Restaurant & Diner is located at 1046 Beacon St, Brookline, MA
- El Pelón Taqueria is located at 92 Peterborough St, Boston, MA
- Corner Pub is located at 162 Lincoln St, Boston, MA
- The Hub Pub is located at 18 Province St, Boston, MA
Check out other attractions like Public Garden