Boston Flora

Tag: Roxbury puddingstone

  • Saturday, May 9, 11:00 am – 12:30 pm, and Sunday, May 17, 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm – Historic Treasures of the Back Bay Fens

    What do a 17th-century Japanese Temple Bell, an historic bridge made of Roxbury puddingstone, and a tree once thought extinct have in common? They all reside in the Back Bay Fens.  Learn about these and other treasures on a guided walking tour of the Back Bay Fens that is sure to bring out the history detective in you.  The tours, presented by the Emerald Necklace Conservancy, will take place Saturday, May 9 from 11 – 12:30, and Sunday May 17 from 1 – 2:30.  Free and open to the public – meet at the Shattuck Visitor Center, 125 The Fenway.  Contact 617-522-2700 or email info@emeraldnecklace.org for more information. Dan Tobyne photo below.

  • Sunday, May 18, 11:00 am – 12:30 pm – Historic Gems of the Back Bay Fens

    From once foul mud flats to a recreated salt marsh to today’s gardens and park land, the Fens has undergone many transformations in the last 130 years.  Join Emerald Necklace docents as they talk and walk the landscape on Sunday, May 18, uncovering the layers of history from Olmsted’s 19th-Century sanitary improvement and H.H. Richardson structures to the 20th-Century transformations that brought gardens, memorials, and ball fields to the Fens.  What do a 17th-Century Japanese Temple Bell, a historic bridge made of Roxbury puddingstone, the oldest continually operating World War II Victory Garden in the country, and a tree once thought to be extinct have in common?  They all reside in the Back Bay Fens.  Learn about these and other historic gems on a guided walking tour that is sure to bring out the history detective in you.  Meet your guide at 11 am at the Shattuck Visitor Center, 125 The Fenway.  Free and open to the public.  Contact Jeanie Knox at jeanine@emeraldnecklace.org for more information, or call 617-522-2700. Image below is from 1892.

    http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Ymx9e66vrGc/TNo8kH9j1mI/AAAAAAAANAg/75lIXzLQoZE/s1600/110026r.jpg

  • Sunday, July 31, 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm – The History, Gardens & Changing Landscape of the Back Bay Fens

    Join Docents from The Emerald Necklace Conservancy on Sunday, July 31 for a free interpretive tour of the Back Bay Fens.  The tour traces the evolution of the area from what a city engineer in the 1870’s called “the foulest marsh and muddy flats to be found anywhere in Massachusetts” to the tranquil parkland of today. Starting at the Visitor Center located at 125 The Fenway, participants will embark on a leisurely excursion that will take them along the Muddy River, through the fragrant Kelleher Rose Garden (below) and the historic Fenway Victory Gardens. Along the way, they will learn how the park developed under the guiding philosophies of celebrated landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted. Highlights include stops at hidden treasures such as the Japanese Bell and the rustic Agassiz Bridge, made of Roxbury puddingstone.  For more information, visit www.emeraldnecklace.org.  Rain or shine, no reservations required.