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Importance of Jamaica Pond
Puritans first arrived and settled in Boston around 350 years ago (Lawler). Since then, the city has experienced plenty of historical events that have shaped it as one of the most significant cities in the United States. But, little is known about the neighborhoods that lay inside it. Some spots may be recognizable, like Beacon Hill, North End, and Southie, but the neighborhood of Jamaica Plain is often overlooked compared to others. Jamaica Plain is just south of Mission Hill and approximately 1.5 miles south of the center of Boston University's campus. It is a popular neighborhood with young people, with hippy and LGBTQ+ communities very present, and a strong Cuban and Dominican influence. Plenty of landmark spots define the neighborhood, like Hyde Square, which was famously remembered by its historic all-black 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment during the Civil War (WBUR). However, while spots such as Hyde Square may seem to represent Jamaica Plain, the true heart of the neighborhood lies in Jamaica Pond and its rich history.
Jamaica Pond can be found towards the West side of Jamaica Plain within the bottom part of Olmsted Park. Above the pond, there lies the Pinebank Baseball Field and Promontory, as well as another smaller pond, Wards Pond. The pond itself is somewhat of an L-shape, with the bottom portion being much thicker than the top. The loop around is a comfortable 1.5 miles long (Emerald Neck Conservatory). Taking up around 65 acres of space, this body of water is considered a great pond. Along with the large area, it is very deep too: the average depth is 22 feet, and the maximum, lying around the right-center part of the pond, is 55 feet (Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife). When viewing the pond from a bird’s eye view, the top left (mentioned before as the top of the ‘L’) is the shallowest part, while the bottom portion is much deeper. Like many other ponds, the bottom is made up of muck and sand, with vegetation rarely being present, though it is more visible during the summer months (Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife). Much of the geography of the pond can be traced back to the man that the park was named after.
The design of the surrounding area was done by one of the most famous public park developers in the nation. Frederick Law Olmsted, born in Connecticut in 1822, is most known for his winning design of Central Park in New York City but also was responsible for thousands of other projects spanning the country even after his death (Olmsted Network). Olmsted moved to Boston in 1883, twenty years before his passing, where he established a firm for developing and learning about landscapes (National Park Service). After the park was bought by the city of Boston, houses and icehouses in the neighborhood of Jamaica Plain were destroyed, all while Olmsted kept the natural landscape of the park.
The pond’s formation was due to the highly popular ice industry and their harvesting of ice in the outskirts of Boston. Evidence of ice operation at its beginning was found on maps dating back to 1855, where E.M. Stoddard and Company Ice Company owned and operated icehouses at the very bottom of the pond. Twenty years later, Jamaica Pond Ice Company, owned by the same group as the previous company, occupied the area, working with around 350 employees, each earning around 1.75 dollars a day, who helped harvest the ice from the pond, pack, and ship it to customers (Rosenberg). Five years later, around 1880, the company had grown tremendously with the expansion of 22 icehouses on the pond and 250 more new employees. Some of their biggest customers, breweries, had caused them to invest in hundreds of horses so that the ice could be delivered faster and more efficiently (Rosenberg). The expansion of their business reflected the ongoing advancement of the ice industry, as ice became a staple in even middle-class households. Early on, ice was being delivered dirty at the doorstep, then it became much more professional, classy-looking men dropping off clean, polished ice into customer’s iceboxes (Rosenberg). But the bubble of what was the ice industry was about to pop. Even before popping, there were plenty of disputes over the use of the pond by both companies and locals. These locals were new and affluent though, as they had just moved from the city to a more suburban setting. They did not accept the company's byproducts, like noise and pollution, plus the waters being tainted by the company's horses. On top of this, the Emerald Necklace Park system was nearing adding this sacred pond to it. Creative destruction was also an inevitable cause of the decline. The innovation in technology for mass-producing plants for ice, and eventually the introduction of refrigerators, ultimately made the need for ice outdated. Jamaica Pond then became a part of the Emerald Necklace park system around 1892, rendering it publicly protected alongside another 1100 acres of land (Emerald Neck Conservatory). While being added to the park system, Olmsted’s plan for the park had finally been accepted, and his first steps were keeping the natural vegetation and creating a boathouse on the bottom of the pond. While the vegetation was kept, along with adding some new elsewhere, the boathouse’s construction was delayed around twenty years due to economic instability (White). Throughout its history, Jamaica Pond went from a spot for profits to a staple in the community of Jamaica Plain.
Cultural events shaped Jamaica Pond to be the primary spot for the local community. Since the days of harvesting ice on the pond, there have always been ice skaters. Carl Anthonson, an early local of the neighborhood, wrote in his diary, “Tonight I fulfilled my vow to go skating. The weather being ideal, skated for several hours on Jamaica Pond… and several times, in trying to display my speed, came close to breaking a bone or two. It was uncomfortably crowded, too, it being the night of the annual municipal carnival. Paid little attention to the festivities and was quite oblivious of the 50,000 gathering” (Jamaica Plain Historical Society). A gathering of this size at Jamaica Pond shows how instrumental it was to the community even almost exactly a century ago. After accidents and signs of untrustworthy ice, ice skating on the pond is now done with: this does not stop locals from still coming to the pond, though. One of the two buildings on the perimeter, the Shelter House, hosts plenty of concerts, attracting plenty of people all around Boston (White). Six thousand people arrived at the first concert, and ever since the area has been popular for musical presentations (City of Boston). Fishing is a huge deal too, though a permit is required, as the pond is restocked fresh every year. Another huge annual event for the pond is in October, around Halloween: the Lantern Festival (or Lantern Parade). Flocks of thousands would arrive with lanterns, alluding to Olmsted’s recollection of the pond’s “flickering half-lights” (National Park Service). Though the celebration is Dutch, people from all different demographics enjoy the ceremony while buying lanterns from local Jamaica Plain businesses or simply making them at community-inclusive workshops the days prior (Spontaneous Celebrations). Cultural events at Jamaica Pond not only attract thousands of people but show how important community involvement is to Jamaica Plain.
Jamaica Plain was not always part of Boston, though it became part of around 1874 (UMass Boston). The neighborhood offers an escape from the inner city of Boston but still shines through with unique features. Jamaica Pond is one, and it offers much more than just being a body of water. Without the pond, this neighborhood would be just like any other, hardly being able to boast any communal, historical natural features. Luckily though, the history of the park and pond is fascinating, and the cultural events provide a solid foundation for what the community has to offer. Jamaica Plain is a very vibrant, fashionable neighborhood, but while one visits, one needs to explore the pond, as its rich history and inclusive events are the soul of the neighborhood.
Works Cited
Editors of The Emerald Necklace Conservancy. “Jamaica Pond.” The Emerald Necklace Conservancy, 18 Oct. 2017, www.emeraldnecklace.org/park-overview/jamaica-pond/. Accessed 18 Oct. 2023.
Editors of National Parks Service. “Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site (U.S. National Park Service).” National Parks Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, www.nps.gov/frla/index.htm. Accessed 17 Oct. 2023.
Editors of Olmsted Network. “Frederick Law Olmsted.” Olmsted Network, 8 June 2023, olmsted.org/frederick-law-olmsted/. Accessed 17 Oct. 2023.
Editors of Stark & Subtle Divisions. “Jamaica Plain.” Stark & Subtle Divisions: A Collaborative History of Segregation in Boston, bosdesca.omeka.net/exhibits/show/bostons-neighborhoods/jamaica-plain. Accessed 17 Oct. 2023.
Editors of Spontaneous Celebrations. “The Lantern Parade.” Spontaneous Celebrations, www.spontaneouscelebrations.org/the-lantern-parade. Accessed 17 Oct. 2023.
“Jamaica Pond.” Boston.Gov, 14 July 2016, www.boston.gov/parks/jamaica-pond. Accessed 17 Oct. 2023.
Lawler, Sean. “Timeline and History of Boston Massachusetts 1630-1795.” Boston Tea Party Ships, 4 Nov. 2022, www.bostonteapartyship.com/boston-history. Accessed 18 Oct. 2023.
Mass.Gov, www.mass.gov/doc/jamaica-pond/download. Accessed 18 Oct. 2023.
Newsroom, WBUR. “Hyde Park: A Boston Neighborhood Guide.” WBUR News, WBUR, 1 Sept. 2023, www.wbur.org/news/2023/09/01/hyde-park-boston-massachusetts-locals-field-guide&c=10746662112466408831&mkt=en-us. Accessed 18 Oct. 2023.
Rosenberg, Charlie. “Harvesting Ice on Jamaica Pond.” Internet Archive: Wayback Machine, Nov. 2007, archive.org/web/. Accessed 17 Oct. 2023.
White, Richard. Olmsted Park System, Jamaica Pond Boathouse, Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts: Planning for Preservation of the Boathouse Roof. 1979.