Prospect Hill, Waltham.MA.US by Jan Hardenbergh

Created in 1893, Prospect Hill Park covers 250 acres, entirely within the City of Waltham. At this size, it is a significant open space, and "perhaps the largest municipally-owned park inside the loop of Route 128." The park covers a ridge which features two significant peaks. At 485 feet above sea level, the higher of the two is the second highest point in the vicinity of Boston, only the Great Blue Hill stands taller. This peak has been called Great Prospect, but is more often referred to as Big Prospect, while its smaller associate, which stands at 435 feet, is known as Little Prospect. Both peaks provide excellent views of the Boston basin.

About fifteen years before Prospect Hill Park was created, Frederick Law Olmsted began work on Boston's Emerald Necklace. This was a time when the construction of parks for passive recreation was important to much of Boston's elite. In 1882, the Massachusetts Park Act became law. This act encouraged the creation of park commissions which would then have the power to buy lands on behalf of a municipality. Ten years later the Metropolitan Parks Bill was passed as chapter 342 of the Acts of 1892. This act dictated that a board of Metropolitan Park Commissioners be formed to "...consider the advisability of laying out ample open spaces for the use of the public, in the towns and cities in the vicinity of Boston..." They were also assigned the duty of devising "...a comprehensive plan for laying out, acquiring and maintaining such open spaces."

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