OWNERSHIP
CONDITIONS
CONTEXT
HISTORY
ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
TESTIMONIES

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OWNERSHIP:
Boston Transportation Department

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CONDITIONS:
Cemetery Road is a historically significant connection between Franklin Park and Forest Hills Cemetery. The road runs between Morton and Forest Hills Streets. A historic stone tunnel dripping in greenery runs under Circuit Drive. Stone steps from the base of the tunnel to the top of the bridge connect Cemetery Road with Circuit Drive, and thus Forest Hills Cemetery to Franklin Park.

There are no sidewalks along Cemetery Road. The shoulder of the road is narrow, and although it is possible to walk along the edge of it, this walkway does not feel safe and inviting for pedestrians. Sections of the stone wall on either side of Cemetery Road are broken, with broken pieces of stone lying on either side.

In the fall of 2001, the parkland east of Cemetery Road was completely overgrown. The stone staircase leading from the cemetery into the park was almost entirely covered by vegetation. In October 2001, a path leading into this section of the park went a few yards and then tapered off into nothing but beer bottles, trash, and a makeshift human shelter constructed of sheets and trash bags in the depths of the wilds. At this time, the stone staircase leading from Forest Hills Cemetery to Circuit Drive in Franklin Park was almost entirely covered by overgrown vegetation and the connection between Forest Hills Cemetery and Franklin Park was essentially invisible and perceived by visitors as wild and unsafe.

By March 2002, the Boston Department of Parks and Recreation had completely cleared the vegetation around the staircase, and the understory of the parkland was almost completely bare. Only a few scattered trees remained. While these changes initially resulted in a stark landscape and a host of forlorn stumps, the connection between Forest Hills Cemetery and Franklin Park was completely obvious and the sense of safety for visitors was markedly improved.

By August 2002, the bushy understory had grown back and the area was once again a weedy, overgrown, uninviting, and almost impassible area of the park.

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CONTEXT:
This is one of the clearest, most straightforward, and most elegant connections between two major greenspaces in the Heart of the City.

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HISTORY:
Cemetery Road was originally lined with stone walls. The bridge over Cemetery Road was designed to separate the entry to the Cemetery from the entry to Franklin Park, and was part of Frederick Law Olmsted's original plan for the area.

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ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES:
The management of forested lands such as the parkland around Cemetery Road must be consistent if the forested lands are to be safe, enjoyable places to walk. Today, as a result of limited staffing and funding for an enormous park, the management of forested areas such as this one is inadequate. Without follow-up plantings and consistent clearing of unwanted vegetation, areas such as these cannot flourish.

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TESTIMONIES:
"Some areas of Franklin Park have been let go and need to be reclaimed. We are concentrating on the area around Cemetery Road up to Williams Street and down to the circle at Morton Street. There is no life in that area" (Bernard Lynch, director of maintenance, Boston Parks Department, April, 2002).

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