Cold Spring Park
Guidebook Section: Central
Location
Get here by MBTA:
a 0.5 mile walk from the Newton Highlands Green Line station
Other maps and aerial photos:
Bing
Newton Assessor
Connects to:
Cochituate Aqueduct runs along the edge of the park
Nearby:
Newton Cemetery
Crystal Lake
Overview
The park has ample wooded areas, fields, a brook, and wetlands. A farmers’ market takes place each summer on the parking lot off Beacon Street, on land that was previously used as a city dump.
Many activities are enjoyed here: baseball, tennis, soccer, walking, jogging, dog walking, nature study, birding, and cross-country skiing. A life course with exercise stations is situated along the trail. The ball fields may be reserved. The southern end of the park includes an off-leash dog area.
Size: 67 acres
Longest Walk: 1.5 miles
Acquired: 1930s
Owner & Administrator Websites
Photo Gallery
First three photos shown here. Click a photo to view the complete slideshow or click here to browse the complete gallery.
History
1633
Part of 150-acre swamp and peat bog held as common land under a ruling by the General Court.
1848
Construction of the Cochituate Aqueduct, which now runs along the edge of the park.
1910s
The Atlas Film Corp. bought the southern part of the park, and filmed silent movies there.
1930s
Alcock’s Swamp was drained, and the brook was rechanneled, lowered five feet, and partly culverted. The city acquired the land by gift, purchase, and tax taking. City developed south half of the park.
1983
City developed the Beacon Street half of the park.
Cold Spring Park Map
Features
Birding, Cross Country Skiing, Life Course, Meadow, Sports Fields, Toilet Facilities, Vernal Pool, Woods Trail
Additional Information
Newton Assessor’s Map ID: 54022 0058 and other parcels
Advocates & Caretakers:
Park Features:
Newton Farmers Market is held on the Beacon Street parking lot every Tuesday afternoon from July through October. Facebook page
The Red Maple Swamp in the park
Essays, Articles, and Lectures:
Mysteries of Cold Spring Park, by Michael Clarke
An Old Man’s Walk in Cold Spring Park, by V. Eugene Vivian, PhD
The Conservators’ Fall 2001 lecture, by Dan Perlman, was entitled From Cold Spring Park to Planet Earth.
Crows Mob Owl, Wreak Havoc, an essay by Pete Gilmore
Environmental Show videos:
Other Information:
A temporary installation by artists Mags Harries, Ross Miller, and Marty Cain funded by National Endowment for the Arts was placed in various locations in the park in 1993.
Cleanup of debris from old landfill
