Edward Payson Park is a public park in the Back Cove neighborhood of
Portland, Maine
Portland is the largest city in the U.S. state of Maine and the seat of Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 in April 2020. The Greater Portland metropolitan area is home to over half a million people, the 104th-largest metropol ...
. The park is bordered by Ocean Avenue to the north and Baxter Boulevard to the south. The offices of the
Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland
The Diocese of Portland is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in the New England region of the United States comprising the entire U.S. state, state of Maine. It is led by a bishop, and its cathedral, or mother church, ...
are located across from the park on Ocean Avenue.
History
The land on which the park was built was part of the Payson estate. It was owned by Rev.
Edward Payson
Edward Payson (July 25, 1783October 22, 1827) was an American Congregational preacher. He was born at Rindge, New Hampshire, where his father, Rev. Seth Payson (1758–1820), was pastor of the Congregational Church. His uncle, Phillips Payson (1 ...
(1783-1827), who 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. In 1917, Portland purchased the property from William Martin Payson of Boston for $26,262. In 1921, William Martin Payson left a bequest of $2,500 to the city to pay for entrance and gates to the park.
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
A birch is a thin-leaved deciduous hardwood tree of the genus ''Betula'' (), in the family Betulaceae, which also includes alders, hazels, and hornbeams. It is closely related to the beech-oak family Fagaceae. The genus ''Betula'' contains 3 ...
nigra'', ''
Cercidiphyllum
''Cercidiphyllum'' is a genus containing two species of plants, both commonly called katsura. They are the sole members of the monotypic family Cercidiphyllaceae. The genus is native to Japan and China and unrelated to ''Cercis'' (redbuds).
Desc ...
'', 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
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (February 27, 1807 – March 24, 1882) was an American poet and educator. His original works include "Paul Revere's Ride", ''The Song of Hiawatha'', and ''Evangeline''. He was the first American to completely transl ...
(1807–1882) who grew up in the nearby
Wadsworth-Longfellow House
The Wadsworth-Longfellow House is a historic house and museum in Portland, Maine, United States. It is located at 489 Congress Street and is operated by the Maine Historical Society. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1962, a ...
.
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.
Botanical gardens in Maine
{{Commons category, Botanical gardens in Maine
Maine
Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provi ...