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, funga, or features of geologic ...

located in

Milton, Massachusetts Milton is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Milton is an immediate southern suburb of Boston, Massachusetts. The population was 28,630 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Milton is located in the relatively hilly ...

. The field is owned by

The Trustees of Reservations ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...

. 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 is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

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, 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. Extending mainly along Adams Street across the top of Milton Hill, it encompasses a residential area of high-style homes dating from the 18th to early 20th cen ...

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