Now that we have cleared centuries of history, topography, landmaking, and monument building, we finally reach the establishment of Ashburton Park on Beacon Hill.
Ashburton Park, in between Bowdoin Street on the east and the Massachusetts State House on the west, occupies part of the flat space left when the heirs of John Hancock sold the top of the hill to make new land.
The newly created open space soon attracted more memorials:
- The replica of Bulfinch’s memorial column erected — 1898
- Monuments to three Civil War Generals commissioned — 1898
- General Charles Devens (Olin Warner) — 1898
- General Joseph Hooker (Daniel Chester French) — 1903
- Nathaniel Banks (Henry H. Kitson) — 1908
Ashburton Park Defined
In the 1890s, progress continued as the borders were established and the park was expanded to extend the length of the capitol building. Demolition followed and, by late 1900, all the buildings along Bowdoin Street between Beacon and Derne Streets, had been taken down.
Among them was the boarding house run by the mother of Rev. James Freeman Clarke. Her residents included the Peabody sisters, future President of Harvard Jared Sparks, and Rev. George Ripley, the future founder of the Transcendentalist utopia, Brook Farm.
A Place for Cars
The Ashburton parking lot 1924
Before a park boasting anything green arose, however, utilitarian purposes took priority and the open space was employed as a parking lot for State House officials. That left the replica of Charles Bulfinch’s monument standing all by itself in the middle of parked cars. In 1990, however, the state installed an underground garage, putting the cars out of sight.
Ashburton Park was dedicated in the spring of 1991. The wrought-iron gate open during State House hours but remain locked at other times.
Monuments and Memorials
The monuments and memorials currently in Ashburton Park include:
The Bulfinch Column
Ashburton Park’s central feature remains the 1898 replica of the 1789 Bulfinch Column that was removed when the hill was lowered in 1811. If this seems complicated, go back and read the previous post on the lowering of the summit. The eagle marks Beacon Hill’s original height.
Massachusetts Fallen Firefighters Memorial
(Bob Shure, Skylight Studios, September 11, 2007)
This monument serves as a “tribute to the spirit, courage and dedication of past, present and future firefighters.” The 10-foot bronze statue shows three firefighters in the search and rescue mode. The 3,000-pound statue stands on a marble Maltese cross, surrounded by a “Ring of Honor.” These engraved bricks are available to fire departments and associations and families to honor deceased firefighters.
Massachusetts Law Enforcement Memorial
(Michael Kenny, 2004)
This low memorial features a stone in the shape of a badge, a circular stone disk, and inscriptions of the names of law enforcement officials. More than 340 names of law enforcement officers who died in the line of duty have been inscribed here.
In the Neighborhood
While you are on Beacon Hill, which still takes some effort to climb, be sure to note or visit other historic buildings in the neighborhood:
