Elm Park - One of the First Public Parklands in the U.S.

March 15th, 2021 mark's Elm Park's 167th birthday as public, park space!

On March 15th, 1854, Former Massachusetts Governor Levi Lincoln deeded thirteen acres, and '70 rods', to the City of Worcester. The land was situated on the north side of Elm Street and was also bounded by 'the recently laid out' Agricultural Street (now Russell St). Stipulation attached to the sale mandated the use of the park as a 'public common.'

John Hammond, Esq., who owned nearby property, sold an adjoining parcel to the city, bringing the total acreage of the new park to 27 acres.

There are several other contenders for the title of first public park in the United States: the Boston Public Garden was established in 1837 as the 'first public botanical garden in the U.S., but wasn't sanctioned by the Boston City Council in 1856; Bowling Green Park in Lower Manhattan was built in 1733 and both Manhattan's Central Park (1853) and Brooklyn's Washington Park (1883) were also notable early-comers; and lastly, Bushnell Park in Hartford claims to be the oldest public park, with its land being approved for public expenditure on January 5th, 1854.