Boston Common and Public Garden

Boston Common and the adjoining Public Garden form 74 acres of open space at the center of Boston. The Common, set aside in 1634 for pasturage and militia training, is considered the oldest public park in the country. It still has Flagstaff Hill, topped since 1877 by the Soldiers and Sailors Monument, and Frog Pond. During the 1760s and 1770s it was a site of political events and the encampment of British troops. The Central Burying Ground dates from 1756. The Public Garden, on former tidal marshland, grew out of a Botanic Garden founded in 1839 and reached its present limits in 1856. It features a free-form pond with swan boats and naturalistic plantings. Statues and memorials by sculptors such as Augustus St. Gaudens, Daniel Chester French, Thomas Ball and J. Q. A. Ward fill both areas. Surrounding landmarks, including Beacon Hill and the State House, add to the setting.