Pillars & Foundations

I visited Bell Rock Park recently at dusk and found the lighting and the cold air of winter to add a certain poignance to the monuments on this gorgeous, overlooked green space, hiding in plain sight in Boston suburbia. During my visit I noticed a couple of other people who were looking at the plaques that memorialize a multitude of different items, primarily war memorials.  The City of Malden website provides some details on Bell Rock Park, noting that it commemorates the two earliest Congregational Meeting houses in Malden. These meeting houses in the 16-1700s often served as both government and spiritual centers of communities. The website also notes that Bell Rock Park is on the National Register of Historic Places and was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. in 1910. Olmsted Jr. is the second generation of the Olmsted family who left an impressive mark on the American landscape, designing public spaces from coast to coast, and setting standards for the profession. The several p

When talking about pillars and foundations maybe a tower, like the Slayton Memorial Tower truly encapsulates both. Truly a hidden gem that locals know about, but transplants like myself can easily miss. It took me years to learn about its existence and years more to finally dedicate the time to walk through the Mount Hood Park & Golf Course to see this incredibly unique structure, hidden away in the far corner of tiny Melrose.  My photographs do not do this view out to the Boston skyline and the Atlantic Ocean justice. There’s been a few write ups on the tower through the years, so my post is far from original, however I do think in the course of our busy lives we take for granted what is in our back yard, and that is true for me and Mt. Hood. I write this with a focus on the tower, but really the whole area is quite beautiful with its ponds, trails, and a golf course that you’d expect to be private country club with a quick glance, when in fact it is open to the public (while bei

27JAN22 - I realized I accidentally included some incorrect photos - and will need to revisit the editing of this blog entry. Text has been removed accordingly during update process. Text and photographs by George Parks Sources are embedded in links Follow Pillars & Foundations on Twitter Follow Pillars & Foundations on Pinterest