A History Of Simpson Park
 

By Lyn Hoyt

 

Simpson Park is an area near the Fenwick Street bridge on Central Street in Framingham near the intersection of Central, Fenwick, and Haynes Streets. The area was part of a group of lots purchased by Michael A. Simpson in the mid-1800s to create public parks for use especially by his employees at the mill and Saxon Factory located in what is known now as Saxonville.

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In 1969, the Simpson Park Garden Club proposed the naming and designation as a living memorial of Simpson Park. They received permission from the Board of Selectmen and a civic beautification grant from the The Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts and the Sears Roebuck Company. The area was planted with bulbs, shrubs, and trees. A nature trail and benches were also installed.

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With the construction of the Mass Pike, the Sudbury Rivers was diverted and a dam eventually was installed at the current site. Due to the higher water level, many plantings that had been at the water’s edge were submerged.

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In 1996, the club assumed responsibility to care for an area adjacent to the park, known as the Shortiss Memorial Site. This had been donated by Mary Louise Shortiss to Framingham to be a preserved natural area along the river. There is a plaque in an alcove on that site and plantings of bulbs and perennials along the wall.

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In 2013 the Simpson Park Garden Club merged with the Pinefield Garden Club, and we now care for these gardens.