Last updated: June 11, 2024
Place
Schoolmaster Hill
Olmsted Archives
Quick Facts
Location:
Boston, MA
Significance:
Olmsted Designed Landscape
MANAGED BY:
Schoolmaster Hill was designed by Franklin Park's designer, Frederick Law Olmsted. It is made up of a terrace, and a connected shelter, leading out towards the Ninety Nine steps and the edge of the park. Originally "covered by vines on trellises and furnished with tables and seats," the building also provided complimentary hot water for visitors to make tea. A multi-use building, it at one time housed the superintendent's office and served as the golf course club house.
Schoolmaster Hill overlooked a meadow known as County Park until 1896 when the golf course was constructed. It was the second public golf course in the country, and golfer Willie Campbell ran the operations and provided lessons for a fee. When his wife Georgianna took over this role after his untimely death, one could argue she became the first professional woman golfer in the United States.
Unlike the building on Schoolmaster Hill, the terrace's scenic view is still fully intact, and the golf course, viewed disapprovingly by Olmsted's son John Charles, has replaced County Park.
Source: "Franklin Park," The Cultural Landscape Foundation
For more information and primary resources, please visit:
Olmsted Research Guide Online
Olmsted Archives on Flickr
Olmsted Online
Schoolmaster Hill overlooked a meadow known as County Park until 1896 when the golf course was constructed. It was the second public golf course in the country, and golfer Willie Campbell ran the operations and provided lessons for a fee. When his wife Georgianna took over this role after his untimely death, one could argue she became the first professional woman golfer in the United States.
Unlike the building on Schoolmaster Hill, the terrace's scenic view is still fully intact, and the golf course, viewed disapprovingly by Olmsted's son John Charles, has replaced County Park.
Source: "Franklin Park," The Cultural Landscape Foundation
For more information and primary resources, please visit:
Olmsted Research Guide Online
Olmsted Archives on Flickr
Olmsted Online