Beaver Brook Reservation is a public recreation area covering on the dividing line between the town of
Belmont and the city of
Waltham,
. The
state park
State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural ...
is managed by the
Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation
The Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) is a state agency of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, situated in the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs. It is best known for its parks and parkways. The DCR's mission is ...
.
[
]
History
Created in 1893, the state park was the first reservation established by the Metropolitan Park Commission. Its primary purpose was to protect a stand of 22 white oak trees known as the Waverly Oaks, which had been defended from destruction by landscape architect Charles Eliot. The last of the ancient trees succumbed to old age in the 1920s. A portion of the reservation was owned by the landscape architect Robert Morris Copeland
Robert Morris Copeland, Sr. (December 11, 1830 – March 28, 1874) was a landscape architecture, landscape architect, city planning, town planner and Union Army officer in the American Civil War. Along with his partner H.W.S. Cleveland of the firm ...
(1830-1874),[ whose 19th-century home sits within the park. Other points of historical interest include a monument to the Waverly Oaks and the remains of a 19th-century ]fulling mill
Fulling, also known as felting, tucking or walking ( Scots: ''waukin'', hence often spelled waulking in Scottish English), is a step in woollen clothmaking which involves the cleansing of woven or knitted cloth (particularly wool) to elimin ...
.[
]
Activities and amenities
In addition to a bike path, playing fields, woodlands, wetlands, a cascading waterfall, wading pool, and fishing opportunities, the reservation offers programs on wildlife and cultural history. Restrooms and a tot lot are also available.[
File:Robert Morris Copeland House at Beaver Brook Reservation in Belmont Massachusetts near Waverly Oaks in Waltham.jpg, ]Robert Morris Copeland
Robert Morris Copeland, Sr. (December 11, 1830 – March 28, 1874) was a landscape architecture, landscape architect, city planning, town planner and Union Army officer in the American Civil War. Along with his partner H.W.S. Cleveland of the firm ...
House at Beaver Brook Reservation
File:Waterfall at Beaver Brook Reservation in Belmont MA Massachusetts near Waverly Oaks in Waltham MA.jpg, Waterfall at Beaver Brook Reservation in Belmont
References
External links
Beaver Brook Reservation
Department of Conservation and Recreation
{{authority control
Belmont, Massachusetts
State parks of Massachusetts
Parks in Middlesex County, Massachusetts
Protected areas established in 1893
1893 establishments in Massachusetts