Grenville Park

Grenville Park

Church Street Ware, Massachusetts 01082

Official Website

About this Location

Grenville Park, 70 acres, has playgrounds, picnic areas, trails, and a boat ramp. The park is situated along the Ware River and provides views of the water and the surrounding woods. Grenville Park is open year-round and hosts several events and activities for the community.

J. H. Grenville Gilbert (1851-1932) together with his wife, Grace (nee Brown), donated Grenville Park in memory of their son, Grenville Gilbert, Jr. who died while attending preparatory school. Construction of the park took many years and it was officially accepted by the town in 1907. In 1911, the Gilberts donated an additional 30 acres west of the river in order to continue the roadway; and another 10 acres on the east to enhance and protect the view. In 1917, suitable land in the park was plowed and given over to gardening under the Food Conservation Committee. In the early 1920s, Sylvester Baxter wrote an article for the Boston Transcript that described Grenville Park as Massachusetts'  "most notable instance of a public park established as a memorial". He called the park "Ware's loveliest adornment" which "preserves the landscape by uniting the woodlands with the river". (Conkey, 1961) Tennis courts were constructed in the mid-1920s and in 1941 it also boasted a ski jump.

Features

  • Restrooms on site

  • Wheelchair accessible trail

  • Entrance fee

Content from Official Website

Last updated November 28, 2023