Mystic River Reservation
Encyclopedia
The Mystic River Reservation is a publicly owned nature preserve located along the Mystic River
in Massachusetts
, United States. It forms part of the 75 square miles (194.2 km²) Mystic River Watershed
, and runs through the towns of Arlington
, Medford
, Somerville
, Everett
, and Chelsea
.
The reservation was established in 1893 by the newly formed Metropolitan Parks Commission (later renamed the Metropolitan District Commission), making it one of the first official nature preserves in Massachusetts, and one of five designed by the Commission in that year. Of these five, three were planned as woodland river reservations: the Mystic River Reservation, Charles River Reservation
, and Neponset River Reservation. The Mystic River Reservation originally comprised a little over 100 hectares (250 acres) of land.
By the early 20th century, most of the land along the Mystic River in Medford, Arlington, and Somerville had become public (i.e. state-owned) land. The reservation is currently maintained by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) Bureau of Urban Parks and Recreation.
The reservation includes four waterfront parks: Draw Seven Park in Somerville; Torbert MacDonald Park in Medford; the Mystic Lakes
in Winchester, Arlington, and Medford; and Mary O'Malley Waterfront Park in Chelsea. The reservation is open to the public year round, from dawn to dusk.
In 2010, the DCR unveiled a plan for restoring and preserving the reservation, called the Mystic River Master Plan. Proposed projects include a partnership between the DCR and the City of Medford to restore the Condon Shell (an outdoor amphitheater located just outside Medford Square); restoration of the Amelia Earhart Dam Basin parklands; and a $3.6 million federally funded link between the reservation, the Minuteman Bikeway, and the Alewife "T" Station
.
Mystic River
The Mystic River is a river in Massachusetts, in the United States. Its name derives from the Wampanoag word "muhs-uhtuq", which translates to "big river." In an Algonquian language, "Missi-Tuk" means "a great river whose waters are driven by waves", alluding to the natural tidal nature of the...
in Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, United States. It forms part of the 75 square miles (194.2 km²) Mystic River Watershed
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
, and runs through the towns of Arlington
Arlington, Massachusetts
Arlington is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, six miles northwest of Boston. The population was 42,844 at the 2010 census.-History:...
, Medford
Medford, Massachusetts
Medford is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, in the United States, on the Mystic River, five miles northwest of downtown Boston. In the 2010 U.S. Census, Medford's population was 56,173...
, Somerville
Somerville, Massachusetts
Somerville is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, located just north of Boston. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 75,754 and was the most densely populated municipality in New England. It is also the 17th most densely populated incorporated place in...
, Everett
Everett, Massachusetts
Everett is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, near Boston. The population was 41,667 at the 2010 census.Everett is the last city in the United States with a bicameral legislature, which is composed of a seven-member Board of Aldermen and an 18-member Common Council...
, and Chelsea
Chelsea, Massachusetts
Chelsea is a city in Suffolk County, Massachusetts, United States directly across the Mystic River from the city of Boston. It is the smallest city in Massachusetts in land area, and the 26th most densely populated incorporated place in the country.-History:...
.
The reservation was established in 1893 by the newly formed Metropolitan Parks Commission (later renamed the Metropolitan District Commission), making it one of the first official nature preserves in Massachusetts, and one of five designed by the Commission in that year. Of these five, three were planned as woodland river reservations: the Mystic River Reservation, Charles River Reservation
Charles River Reservation
The Charles River Reservation is a -long Massachusetts state park located along the banks of the Charles River in Boston, Cambridge, Watertown, and Newton. The park is managed by the Department of Conservation and Recreation . The portion of the Reservation between the Charles River Dam and the...
, and Neponset River Reservation. The Mystic River Reservation originally comprised a little over 100 hectares (250 acres) of land.
By the early 20th century, most of the land along the Mystic River in Medford, Arlington, and Somerville had become public (i.e. state-owned) land. The reservation is currently maintained by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) Bureau of Urban Parks and Recreation.
The reservation includes four waterfront parks: Draw Seven Park in Somerville; Torbert MacDonald Park in Medford; the Mystic Lakes
Mystic Lakes
The Mystic Lakes, consisting of Upper Mystic Lake and Lower Mystic Lake, are closely linked bodies of water in the northwestern suburbs of Boston, Massachusetts....
in Winchester, Arlington, and Medford; and Mary O'Malley Waterfront Park in Chelsea. The reservation is open to the public year round, from dawn to dusk.
In 2010, the DCR unveiled a plan for restoring and preserving the reservation, called the Mystic River Master Plan. Proposed projects include a partnership between the DCR and the City of Medford to restore the Condon Shell (an outdoor amphitheater located just outside Medford Square); restoration of the Amelia Earhart Dam Basin parklands; and a $3.6 million federally funded link between the reservation, the Minuteman Bikeway, and the Alewife "T" Station
Alewife (MBTA station)
Alewife, located at the intersection of Alewife Brook Parkway and Cambridgepark West in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is a local intermodal transportation hub. It is the northern terminus of the MBTA's Red Line, and a bus terminal for several local routes and one intercity route. It opened in 1985.The...
.
