Walking Tour of Parkside

As the big finale to our 30th season of historic walking tours, we are offering a special tour of Parkside. This area of Jamaica Plain hugs Franklin Park. In the early 19th century the area was dominated by huge estates including that of the popular children’s story writer, Peter Parley. After the Civil War, Parkside began to be sub-divided into smaller (yet still large by Boston standards) home sites for the new emerging middle class. Development was heavily influenced by the rocky terrain — which made only low density development practical. But the draw of the proximity to the new Franklin Park, Boston’s largest public green space, made the efforts worth it. In the 20th century, most of the remaining estates were broken up or adapted for institutional or multi-resident buildings.

This tour will feature a group of Parkside residents who were connected to the Transcendentalist movement, including Margaret Fuller, Ralph Waldo Emerson, James Freeman Clarke and Ednah Dow Cheney. And there will be some surprises, such as Jamaica Plain’s own amusement park and the home of a lifelong Communist/labor organizer who was repeatedly threatened with imprisonment or deportation but never was.

This tour will last approximately 75 minutes. No reservations are required just meet the guides at the starting location. The tour will be cancelled in the case of heavy rain.

You may also like the following events from Jamaica Plain Historical Society:

• This Saturday, 2nd August, 11:00 am, Walking Tour of Woodbourne in Roslindale
• Next Saturday, 9th August, 11:00 am, Walking Tour of Jamaica Pond in Jamaica Plain
• Next month, 16th August, 11:00 am, Walking Tour of Monument Square, Jamaica Plain in Jamaica Plain

Also check out other Workshops in Jamaica Plain, Arts events in Jamaica Plain, Literary Art events in Jamaica Plain.