Boston Common archaeology

Boston Common is the oldest park in America. This nearly 50-acre open space within the heart of Boston has been preserved as public space since 1634. But, its human story begins long before.

Over thousands of years, the Common has been a home, pasture, trash dump, meeting place, training green, encampment, gallows, recreation field, concert stage, and picnic spot, among many other uses. Today, the Common is a designated Boston Landmark. It is managed by the Boston Parks and Recreation Department.

The first Englishman to build a home on Shawmut was religious recluse William Blackstone. He lived a solitary life on the northwest corner of today’s Boston Common.

In 1630, the Winthrop fleet arrived at Shawmut with a large group of followers who renamed the peninsula Boston. Blackstone held to his claim of land and John Winthrop reluctantly reserved 50 acres for him. However, the new crowds did not suit Blackstone’s lifestyle. So, in 1634, he sold his property to the colonists. The newly purchased acreage on the western shore of Shawmut was set aside for “the further benefit of the town” and its residents. This created the boundaries of the Boston Common we know today.

For more than a century, the Common served primarily as public grazing space. White male land owners in Boston were entitled to graze their cows or sheep there, and the open space was more field than park.

During the colonial period, the open space was used by Bostonians for:

• chores and casual recreation, and
• as a militia training space.

One of the more grim activities on the Common was public executions conducted on its several large trees, including the Great Elm. See below for more information on the tree.

The Common was the center of British occupation during the American Revolution. Regulars dismantled the colonial Powder House. They installed a six-gun artillery battery on the hill as well as a series of encampments on the flat areas. It was from the Common’s western shore on April 19, 1775, that British troops set out in boats across the Charles River to begin their march towards Lexington and Concord, and the start of a war.

The genteel class moved into stately new homes on Mt. Vernon and Beacon Hill in the 1820s. They began to challenge the status of the Common as pasture. Cows were too unrefined for the wealthy and powerful individuals of the City. Some residents were said to be so frightened of the cows that they were known to faint. Boston eventually banned cows from the Common in 1830. After that, the purpose of the Common shifted to leisure. Attractive malls lined with trees were further emphasized to give residents a place to enjoy nature within the City.

With the removal of cows in 1830 — and the transformation of the open space into a formal park in the 19th century — use of the Common by residents increased.

In many of the earliest maps of Boston (including the one above) the Great Elm appears as one of the only tree on the Common. The tree fell during a powerful storm in 1876. But, it is still remembered as an iconic piece of Boston’s history as people gathered under its hulking branches. Perhaps most notably, the Sons of Liberty used it as a rallying spot during the revolutionary years. 

Since 1848, Frog Pond has been a summer destination, inviting children to cool off in the shallow waters. In the winter months, they sled down the slopes of Monument Hill, or join in ice skating around the pond.

For centuries, the people of Massachusetts have flocked to the wide open public space situated outside the Commonwealth’s seat of power to protest. From the 1844 Whigs gathering to anti-Prohibition protesters in the 1920s to the anti-Vietnam War movement of the 1970s to the women’s march and Black Lives Matter movements of today, the tradition of congregating on the grassy Common to make voices heard within earshot of lawmakers continues in earnest.

As a place of sports and recreation for centuries, the Common has hosted:

• baseball, tennis, and football games
• large-scale marbles tournaments, and
• checkers matches in the 1920s.

Today, you may see even see a quidditch match.

• In the 1960s, geologist Clifford Kaye collected artifacts from the excavations being done ahead of the large parking garage located on the lower Common. These artifacts are housed at the City Archaeology Laboratory.
• In 1985, City Archaeologist Steven Pendery conducted a survey near the Park Street MBTA station for proposed access shafts.
• In 1986, archaeologists from BU's Office of Public Archaeology surveyed for a proposed electric pipe corridor across the southeast corner of the Common.
• From 1986-1987, City Archaeologist Steven Pendery conducted a large-scale survey of the entire Common. This was done for the proposed installation of light poles, which are standing today. This survey identified multiple Native and historic sites.