Jamaica Pond is a
kettle
A kettle, sometimes called a tea kettle or teakettle, is a type of pot specialized for boiling water, commonly with a ''lid'', ''spout'', and ''handle'', or a small electric kitchen appliance of similar shape that functions in a self-contained ...
lake, part of the
Emerald Necklace of parks in
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 ...
designed by
Frederick Law Olmsted
Frederick Law Olmsted (April 26, 1822August 28, 1903) was an American landscape architect, journalist, social critic, and public administrator. He is considered to be the father of landscape architecture in the USA. Olmsted was famous for co ...
. The pond and park are in the
Jamaica Plain
Jamaica Plain is a neighborhood of in the City of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Settled by Puritans seeking farmland to the south, it was originally part of the former Town of Roxbury, now also a part of the City of Boston. The commun ...
neighborhood of Boston, close to the border of
Brookline. It is the source of the
Muddy River, which drains into the lower
Charles River
The Charles River ( Massachusett: ''Quinobequin)'' (sometimes called the River Charles or simply the Charles) is an river in eastern Massachusetts. It flows northeast from Hopkinton to Boston along a highly meandering route, that doubles b ...
.
USGS 2005
/sup>
The pond
A pond is an area filled with water, either natural or artificial, that is smaller than a lake. Defining them to be less than in area, less than deep, and with less than 30% emergent vegetation helps in distinguishing their ecology from ...
has an area of about , and is deep at its center
MassWildlife map
, making it the largest body of fresh water in Boston, and the largest natural freshwater body in the lower Charles River watershed. It is ringed by a walking path, and is an extremely popular destination for Bostonians for walking, fishing, rowing, and sailing. Around Halloween each year, the pond serves as the site for The Lantern Parade. Participants dress in their Halloween costumes and walk around the pond.
The pond once served as a reservoir for the City of Boston and the Town of West Roxbury, and it supplied ice in the winter to Boston and beyond.
According to the USGS
The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, a ...
, the name Jamaica derives from an Indian name meaning "abundance of beavers".
The pond's setting, Jamaica Park, was included in the Olmsted Park landscape complex that was placed on the National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
on December 8, 1971.
History
The Jamaica Plain Ice Company employed 350 men in 1874, and harvested as much 5,000 tons of ice a day from Jamaica Pond.
The pond was once the site of a popular annual winter skating carnival. In 1929, this carnival was cancelled by Mayor Curley when cracks appeared on the ice, and 50,000 skaters had to be evacuated.Remember Jamaica Plain? Fifty Thousand on Jamaica Pond Ice? Wow!
/ref> In recent years, ice skating is no longer permitted on the pond.
Overlooking Jamaica Pond until its 2007 demolition was Pinebank Mansion, the summer home of Edward Newton Perkins.
Gallery
File:Jamaica Pond, Wext Roxbury, MA - skating scene (1859).jpg, Skating on the pond, 1859
File:Iceman and helper with Jamaica Pond Ice Co. wagon, Boston, Massachusetts LCCN2016649587.jpg, Ice delivery van, 1890
File:Jamaica Pond IMG 0347.jpg, Swans, 2010
File:Jamaica Pond 1.jpg, Sailboat on pond, 2013
File:Jamaica Pond P1030840a.jpg, Bicyclists, 2021
File:Jamaica Pond P1030853b.jpg, Walking path, 2021
File:Jamaica Pond P1030860c.jpg, Fishing, 2021
File:Jamaica Pond P1030864b.jpg, Rowboat, 2021
File:Jamaica Pond P1030873b.jpg, Renting a sailboat, 2021
References
*Water resources and the urban environment, lower Charles River Watershed;
*
External links
MassWildlife map and informationBoston Parks & Recreation DepartmentEmerald Necklace ConservancyFriends of Jamaica PondSam Blackman: The Jamaica Pond ProjectBoating on Jamaica Pond by Courageous SailingJamaica Pond Lantern Parade by Spontaneous Celebrations
Jamaica Plain, Boston
Parks in Boston
Emerald Necklace
Ice trade
{{Boston-geo-stub