World's End is a 251-acre (1 km²) park and

conservation area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural or cultural values. Protected areas are those areas in which human presence or the exploitation of natural resources (e.g. firewoo ...

located on a

peninsula A peninsula is a landform that extends from a mainland and is only connected to land on one side. Peninsulas exist on each continent. The largest peninsula in the world is the Arabian Peninsula. Etymology The word ''peninsula'' derives , . T ...

Hingham, Massachusetts Hingham ( ) is a town in northern Plymouth County, Massachusetts, Plymouth County in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. Part of the Greater Boston region, it is located on the South Shore (Massachusetts), South Shore of Massachusetts. At the 2020 ...

. The peninsula is bordered by the Weir River to the North and East and Hingham Harbor (part of

Hingham Bay Hingham Bay is the easternmost of the three small bays of outer Boston Harbor, part of Massachusetts Bay and forming the western shoreline of the town of Hull and the northern shoreline of Hingham in the United States state of Massachusetts. It ...

, and

Boston Harbor Boston Harbor is a natural harbor and estuary of Massachusetts Bay, located adjacent to Boston, Massachusetts. It is home to the Port of Boston, a major shipping facility in the Northeastern United States. History 17th century Since its dis ...

) to the West. The land is composed of four

drumlin A drumlin, from the Irish word ("little ridge"), first recorded in 1833, in the classical sense is an elongated hill in the shape of an inverted spoon or half-buried egg formed by glacial ice acting on underlying unconsolidated till or groun ...

s (Pine Hill, Planter's Hill, and the double drumlins of World's End proper) harboring tree groves interspersed with fields attractive to

butterflies Butterflies are winged insects from the lepidopteran superfamily Papilionoidea, characterized by large, often brightly coloured wings that often fold together when at rest, and a conspicuous, fluttering flight. The oldest butterfly fossi ...

and grassland-nesting birds, and offers 4.5 miles of walking paths with views of the

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 ...

skyline. The adjacent neighborhood, an upper-middle class residential subdivision with several waterfront homes, is also colloquially called ''World's End''.

History

In the mid to late 19th century, the

was purchased and turned into an extensive estate by John Brewer, who raised livestock there. In 1889, Brewer commissioned noted

landscape architect A landscape architect is a person who is educated in the field of landscape architecture. The practice of landscape architecture includes: site analysis, site inventory, site planning, land planning, planting design, grading, storm water manage ...

Frederick Law Olmsted Frederick Law Olmsted (April 26, 1822 – August 28, 1903) was an American landscape architect, journalist, Social criticism, social critic, and public administrator. He is considered to be the father of landscape architecture in the U ...

to design a residential subdivision. The design was made and the roads and trees set in place, but the homes were never built. The site was proposed in 1945 as a location for the nascent

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

, but New York City was chosen instead. In the mid 1960s, Boston Edison considered building a nuclear power plant on World's End, but instead built the

Pilgrim Nuclear Generating Station Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station (PNPS) is a closed nuclear power plant in Massachusetts in the Manomet section of Plymouth on Cape Cod Bay, south of the tip of Rocky Point and north of Priscilla Beach. Like many similar plants, it was constructe ...

to the south. In 1967, through the generosity of

Wilmon Brewer Wilmon Brewer (1895–1998) was an American literary scholar, poet, writer and philanthropist. Early life Brewer was born in Hingham, Massachusetts, and lived there for most of his life on his family's estate, Great Hill. When he was a young man ...

, the northern two-thirds of the World's End peninsula was acquired by the

Trustees of Reservations Trustee (or the holding of a trusteeship) is a legal term which, in its broadest sense, refers to anyone in a position of trust and so can refer to any individual who holds property, authority, or a position of trust or responsibility for the b ...

and opened for public use. In 1996, it was made part of the

Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area Boston Harbor Islands National and State Park is a combination national recreation area and state park situated among the islands of Boston Harbor. The park is made up of 34 islands and peninsulas and is managed by the Boston Harbor Islands Pa ...

, but the Trustees continue to manage the site. The short story
World's End
by Clare Beams is inspired by Olmsted's dealings with the landscape, although the role of architect is played by a younger, unnamed person.

References

External links

World's End page from The Trustees

World's End page from the Boston Harbor Islands Partnership

U.S. Geological Survey Map
at the U.S. Geological Survey Map Website. Retrieved January 26, 2023. {{Islands and Peninsulas of Massachusetts The Trustees of Reservations Open space reserves of Massachusetts Boston Harbor peninsulas and former islands Hingham, Massachusetts Parks in Plymouth County, Massachusetts