King Oak Hill Park, Weymouth

King Oak Hill Park, Weymouth

Weymouth, Massachusetts 02189

Official Website

About this Location

King Oak Hill Park is a 24-acre hilltop park with views of the Boston Skyline. Features a 0.25-mile paved walking loop and a shade pavilion. Stroller-friendly.

Before European settlement of Weymouth, a junction on an important Native American trail network stood atop King Oak Hill. Both the Massachusetts and Wampanoag tribes used these trails. The hill probably also served as a lookout for hunting.

As European settlement spread through Weymouth in the 17th and 18th centuries, the use of this hill became agricultural. In 1903, William H. Binnian constructed a Georgian Revival home on top of the hill. Allan C. Emery, a prominent wool merchant, became the owner in 1916. His family owned and farmed the estate for nearly a century until the town purchased it in 2011.

The 1903 Georgian Revival Emery Estate (not open to the public), modeled after George Washington’s Mount Vernon, still stands on the property. Two purple-leaf plume trees stand in memory of police Sgt. Michael Chesna, 41, and Vera Adams, 77, a longtime teacher. Community Preservation Funds, as well as a Massachusetts PARC grant, supported the construction of the park.

A 0.25-mile paved walking trail extends around the perimeter of the park.

The grassy park sits atop a drumlin hill, formed by retreating glaciers. There are oak, maple, and birch trees around the perimeter, as well as some cedars. A row of cedars extends across the top of the hill.

The park is located within the watershed of the Fore River. The Fore River serves as the boundary line between the towns of Weymouth and Braintree. It flows for about 3 miles, into Quincy, where it meets Town River, and then flows for another 2 miles into Hingham Bay. In its final few miles, the Fore River is nearly a mile wide in some places.

Features

  • Restrooms on site

  • Wheelchair accessible trail

  • Entrance fee

Content from Official Website

Last updated February 8, 2024