Mary Cummings Park is one of the great public parks of Greater Boston. This over two hundred acre public park on the Burlington-Woburn border was created by Mary P.C. Cummings 77 years ago and was entrusted to the City of Boston to be kept forever open as a recreational park.
In recent years, the City of Boston has tried to discourage public access and has investigated selling the park to fund the Rose Kennedy Greenway.
Surrounding the park itself is about another 130 acres of undeveloped land, some of which is protected under conservation easement, but much of which is threatened with development. Included in this surrounding land is a 75-acre parcel, owned by Northeastern University, which extends deeply into the park; a Chapter 40B proposal by Archstone-Smith to build 540 apartment units on this parcel is currently under appeal.
We believe that Mary Cummings Park, the surrounding conservation lands, and open space, provide much needed outdoor recreational opportunities and wildlife habitat as part of Greater Boston's own "Emerald Necklace". "Friends of Mary Cummings Park" has been formed to help keep our park forever open as a public park and playground, to promote recreation and the protection of its wildlife, habitat and watershed.
Compared to other public parks in Metropolitan BostonList of public parks inside rt. 128 sorted by size in acres
- 7,000 acres - The Blue Hills Reservation Quincy, Dedham, Milton, Randolph
- 2,200 acres - Lynn Woods Reservation, Lynn
- 2,060 acres - The Middlesex Fells Reservation, Malden, Medford, Stoneham, Melrose, Winchester.
- 700 acres (mostly wetlands) Cutler Park, Needham, Dedham
- 640 acres Breakheart Reservation, Saugus
- 600 Rumney Marsh Reservation, Saugus, Revere
- 527 acres Franklin Park (including Zoo and golf course), Boston
- 500 acres Horn Recreation Area, Woburn
- 475 acres Stony Brook Reservation - West Roxbury, Hyde Park
- 265 acres Arnold Arboretum, Jamaica Plain, Boston
- 250 acres Prospect Hill Park, Waltham
- 210 acres Mary Cummings Park, Burlington, Woburn
- 129 acres Salem Woods at Highland Park, Salem
- 120 acres Alewife Reservation - Cambridge, Arlington, Somerville
- 107 acres Pine Banks Park, Melrose, Malden
- 100 acres Millenium Park, Boston
- 90 acres Allendale Woods, Boston
- 80 acres Merrymount Park, Quincy
- 59 acres Beaver Brook Reservation, Waltham
- 50 acres Boston Common, Boston (75 acres with public garden)
- 50 acres Brooks Estate, Medford
*As you can see, depending how you count the designated land use, Mary Cummings Park is about the 12th largest park in Metropolitan Boston. No matter how you count it, this is a valuable public park deserving of our respect and good stewardship.