Governor Hutchinson's Field is a

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...

located in

Milton, Massachusetts Milton is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States and an affluent suburb of Boston. The population was 28,630 at the 2020 census. Milton is the birthplace of former U.S. President George H. W. Bush, and architect Buckminster Fuller. ...

. The field is owned by

The Trustees of Reservations The Trustees of Reservations is a non-profit land conservation and historic preservation organization dedicated to preserving natural and historical places in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is the oldest land conservation nonprofit orga ...

. The property is the only means of public access to another Trustees property, the otherwise inaccessible Pierce Reservation.

History

In 1734, Thomas Hutchinson, last civilian royal governor of Massachusetts, built a country estate on the property. The two remaining parts of the estate are the field, which affords sweeping views of

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

and Quincy and a ha-ha which is now on the property of St. Michael's Episcopal Church, a block away from the field. (A ha-ha is a sunken wall which permits unblocked views, while still serving functions of a wall such as delineating a border and preventing livestock from crossing.) The field was an orchard during Hutchinson's time, but became open land during the 19th century.

acquired the field in 1898, and it is open to the public for passive recreational purposes. The adjacent Pierce Reservation land was given to the Trustees in 1957.

Getting there

The field, with its view of Boston, is on Adams Street at the top of Milton Hill, opposite the Capt. Robert B. Forbes House and the

Dr. Amos Holbrook House The Dr. Amos Holbrook House is a historic house at 203 Adams Street in Milton, Massachusetts, across from Governor Hutchinson's Field. The two-story wood-frame house was built in 1800 by Dr. Amos Holbrook, a pioneer in the propagation of small ...

, both of which are also on the National Register of Historic Places. The field is a contributing property to the

Milton Hill Historic District The Milton Hill Historic District is a historic district in Milton, Massachusetts. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1995. The Milton Hill area first became prominent in the 1740s as the estate of Thomas Hutchinson, ...

References

External links

Governor Hutchinson's Field
The Trustees of Reservations
Pierce Reservation
The Trustees of Reservations The Trustees of Reservations Protected areas of Norfolk County, Massachusetts Open space reserves of Massachusetts 1898 establishments in Massachusetts Protected areas established in 1898 Historic district contributing properties in Massachusetts {{NorfolkCountyMA-geo-stub