Edward Payson Park is a public park in the Back Cove neighborhood of Portland, Maine. The park is bordered by Ocean Avenue to the north and
Baxter Boulevard
Baxter Boulevard is a boulevard and parkway in Portland, Maine. The roadway served as the means to head north from downtown Portland before Tukey's Bridge, now on Interstate 295 (I-295), was built. The road was part of U.S. Route 1 (U ...
It is named for Edward Payson, which was the name of two prominent residents of the same name. Rev. Edward Payson (1783-1827) was a prominent Congregationalist preacher. His son of the same name (1813-1890) who lived near the park in the Payson House. The Payson House was built in the 1850s before being demolished in 1956.
Longfellow Arboretum
The Longfellow Arboretum is a
arboretum
An arboretum (plural: arboreta) in a general sense is a botanical collection composed exclusively of trees of a variety of species. Originally mostly created as a section in a larger garden or park for specimens of mostly non-local species, man ...
on the southwestern corner the park beside a small tidal marsh which connects the park to Back Cove.
As of August 2016, there are 125 trees, including approximately 40 non-native trees, including '' Betula nigra'', '' Cercidiphyllum'', and ''
Stewartia
:Stewartia'' as described by Philibert Commerçon is a synonym of ''Dombeya.
''Stewartia'' (sometimes spelled ''Stuartia''Sprague, T.A. (1928). The correct spelling of certain generic names. III. ''Kew Bulletin'' 1928: 337-365.Royal Botanic Gar ...
''.
The Longfellow Garden Club, a member of the National Garden Club and the Garden Club Federation of Maine, created the Longfellow Arboretum on land donated by the City of Portland using a bequest from Mrs. Clifford Leys, a former member. Today the Longfellow Garden Club and the City of Portland jointly maintain the Arboretum. It is named in honor of American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807–1882) who grew up in the nearby Wadsworth-Longfellow House.
Facilities
Payson Park has multiple sports facilities, including a playground, baseball and softball fields, and a basketball court. It is also a known as a top location for sliding and in 2008, Payson Hill Terrain Park, a ski, snowboard, and sledding terrain park located on the park's western edge, formalized this space to encourage children to take up the sports. It was the only municipal park in the United States to offer free skiing and riding lessons. It is also home to a community garden.