Last updated: October 6, 2023
Place
Beaver Brook Reservation
Olmsted Archives
Quick Facts
After the 1893 establishment of the Metropolitan Parks System, pushed forward by Olmsted firm partner Charles Eliot, Beaver Brook Reservation was to become the first reservation in the system. Eliot, Frederick Law Olmsted, and Sylvester Baxter, who helped created the Metropolitan Parks System, all emphasized the importance of preserving the distinct natural scenery of the area.
The Olmsted firm would design formal paths and trails through Beaver Brook Reservation well into the 1890s, as well as two footbridges across the Brook. Despite careful attention of both Olmsted firm members and park superintendents, many of the area’s distinctive trees succumbed to disease, weather, and old age within thirty years of the reservation being created.
The Olmsted firm would design formal paths and trails through Beaver Brook Reservation well into the 1890s, as well as two footbridges across the Brook. Despite careful attention of both Olmsted firm members and park superintendents, many of the area’s distinctive trees succumbed to disease, weather, and old age within thirty years of the reservation being created.