The Friends of the Public Garden are sponsoring a talk on Thursday, March 10 from 6 – 8 at the Suffolk University Law School. Lyn Paget, the fourth-generation manager of the Swan Boats operation, will share personal anecdotes and historical images dating back to 1877, when her great-grandfather Robert Paget first launched the dual-pontoon boats in the Public Garden and a rich chapter of the Boston’s history began. $15. Tickets available online at www.friendsofthepublicgarden.org.
More than a dozen people, including members of The Garden Club of the Back Bay, have recently taken a very special interest in the Public Garden and have been studying this iconic greenspace for hours on end. What they are learning about America’s first public botanical garden is not for a class or research for a book. This studious bunch is the inaugural group of volunteer docents of the Friends of the Public Garden that will be serving as guides for a new tour program. Incoming GCBB Vice President Sherley Smith and Beacon Hill resident Sidney Kenyon have been key organizers for this special endeavor.
Walking a route that encompasses the northern half of the Garden, tour participants will gain a deeper understanding of the Garden’s special place in the history of Boston and the country. Hour-long tours will include interesting facts and anecdotes about history, horticulture, and sculpture. Casual visitors of the area are likely to find a new appreciation of its significance and neighbors who use it frequently are likely to discover at least a thing or two that might surprise them.
Docents have spent many volunteer hours learning about the Garden and working to craft their tours. In February, their training began with a Friends-sponsored lecture, Searching for the Histories of the Boston Public Garden by Boston University Professor Keith Morgan, held at Suffolk University. Friends President Emeritus Henry Lee gave a talk at the Friends office that traced the Garden’s history as well as the founding of the organization and highlights from its 45 year work in caring for the Garden in partnership with the Boston Parks and Recreation Department. Additional information sessions included trees and plantings by Friends Project Manager Bob Mulcahy; the history of the Swan Boats by fourth generation owner Lyn Paget; and the Garden’s sculpture including the Friends sculpture care program by Friends Collections Care Manager Sarah Hutt.
FOPG members $5, nonmembers $15. Register online at http://friendsofthepublicgarden.org/programs-projects/tours-2/ Tours run through September, and you are advised to bring a hat, sunscreen, and dress for the weather. Photo below by Caroline Phillips-Licari.
Quick: What do Calvin Coolidge, Princess Grace, and Cyndi Lauper have in common? If you’re guessing that they all wanted to have fun, you’re getting warm. Give up? Why, they’ve all ridden on the Swan Boats, of course! So have you, probably. (And if you haven’t, you’re certainly missing out!) Swan Boats have been gliding along the Public Garden lagoon since Victorian days, delighting passengers of all ages and from all walks of life. Befitting the first botanical garden in the United States, the Swan Boats are the only watercraft of their kind in the world. Offering splendid views of the venerable trees and vivid flower beds of the Public Garden and the handsome historic buildings beyond, each jaunt aboard the Swan Boats invites us on a journey in time and tradition.
Join The Boston Landmarks Commission at the storied Taj Boston for our Preservation Month 2014 Keynote Event on Thursday, May 1 at 6 pm. At this historic hotel overlooking the Public Garden,Lyn Paget, the descendant of the original Swan Boat operators, shares with us her fascinating account of this little flotilla, from its earliest launch to date. Lyn will explain how in 1877 her great-grandfather Robert Paget first adapted the now-familiar swan imagery from Wagner’s Lohengrin for his very first paddleboat. The actual birds’ legendary attributes of gracefulness and fidelity seem reflected by the fleet’s continuation and growth, after Robert’s untimely death, by his widow Julia, a pioneering businesswoman. Remaining a Paget family enterprise to this day, the Swan Boats bloom perennially as both a tourist attraction and a source of seasonal employment for the vigorous young people whose deft pedal work keeps them afloat. Now well into their second century, the Swan Boats grow yearly in fame through the ever- popular works of children’s authors Robert McCloskey and E. B. White, attracting generations of new enthusiasts the world over, Bostonians and visitors alike. Come hear Lyn’s interesting facts and anecdotes, learn how the vessels are operated and maintained, and revel in the surprising history of these beloved symbols of Boston itself. Reception to follow.
Free and open to the public. As space is limited, pre-registration is required. Contact tonya.loveday@boston.gov to sign up.
The Swan Boats are some of the most historic figures in the Boston Public Garden, but do you ever wonder where they came from? Lyn Paget is the fourth generation of Swan Boat operators, dating back to 1877. Originally started by Lyn’s great grandfather, Robert Paget, and preserved by her great grandmother, Julia Paget, the Public Garden’s Swan Boats are enduring and iconic symbols of Boston.
Initially starting out with one row boat, the Paget family adopted a number of paddle boats and christened them with the now iconic Swan imagery. Inspired by “Lohengrinâ€, an opera based on the medieval German story in which the protagonist traverses on a boat that is pulled by a swan, the Swan Boats are an important part of the Public Garden’s history.
While the Swan Boats may not be in operation until April, the opportunity to learn more about them is coming up. On March 3rd, the Connolly branch of the Boston Public Library will be hosting a talk given by Lyn Paget on the Swan Boats. This will be a great chance to learn about the Swan Boat’s history, the Paget family’s traditions, and practices behind a quintessential Boston activity that has been enjoyed by Bostonians and visitors alike for over 136 years.
This lecture is free of charge on March 3rd at 6:30 to 7:30 at the Connolly Branch of the Boston Public Library, located at 422 Centre Street, Jamaica Plain. This event is recommended for young adults, college students, adults and seniors and is sponsored by the Jamaica Plain Historical Society.
