Since acquiring our first reservation at Rocky Narrows in Sherborn in 1897, protecting the places people love has been at the heart of the Trustees mission. More than a century and 122 additional properties later, the Momentum campaign has allowed us to do more than just acquire land—it has powered us to steward new places from vulnerability to vibrancy and revitalize our existing special places. Ultimately, the campaign has let us strengthen communities across the state through shared outdoor space.
Thanks to our Momentum donors, we have protected iconic properties across the Commonwealth, including a 300-acre wooded farm, an historic park on Cape Cod, and a world-class sculpture park and museum. All told, we have added seven new properties and thousands of acres of land in communities as dense as Boston and as lush as the Berkshires to the Trustees portfolio of special places.
In addition to saving new places, we have also made tremendous improvements to our properties in need. Making investments in new equipment and new staff has allowed us to apply our best-in-class stewardship across the state and make every treasured property shine its brightest.
From the smallest trail improvement to the conservation of hundreds of acres of forest, the Momentum campaign has fueled a rapid expansion of protected lands and a rejuvenation of our beloved landscapes, ensuring communities across Massachusetts will have access to these special places forever.
Major Accomplishments:
- In 2018, The Trustees acquired Gerry Island in Marblehead, an iconic community destination with breathtaking coastal views. It joins neighboring Crowninshield Island, the Misery Islands in Salem Sound, and Choate and Long Island in in Essex in the family of Trustees-protected islands on the North Shore.
- We completed a multi-year landscape restoration project at World’s End in Hingham, including construction of the Wakeman-O’Donnell Center—a first-class engagement and education space offering educational programming and hands-on environmental engagement at the popular property.
- In 2020, we acquired Jewell Hill, a 300-acre landscape spanning Ashburnham, Ashby, and Fitchburg. The site of a former dairy farm, Jewell Hill contains a watershed conservation area and miles of wooded trails offering four-season recreation, highlighted by the sweeping views from the Hudson Overlook atop the 1,400-foot summit.
- We took over management and restored the 216-acre Mary Cummings Park in Burlington and Woburn. Partnering with the Friends of Mary Cummings Park, who saved the landscape when it was under threat of sale and development, The Trustees made significant enhancements to the property, including the creation of new science and nature trail, a pollinator meadow, and a boardwalk offering access to the wetlands for people of all abilities.
- Following an archaeological survey and restoration on the site of a historic brickworks, the Trustees opened The Brickyard, a 21-acre coastal site adjacent to Menemsha Hills on Martha’s Vineyard.
- In 2021, we acquired the central 66-acre parcel at Moraine Farm in Beverly, a country estate designed by the father of American landscape architecture, Frederick Law Olmsted. The parcel includes scenic Wenham Lake views, the main estate house, tea garden, and terrace. This land connects the four disparate plots The Trustees already owned on the property, allowing us to reunite and restore this historic Olmsted-designed masterpiece.
- We acquired Armstrong-Kelley Park in Osterville, the oldest and largest privately owned park open to the public on Cape Cod. After restoration, the beloved 8-acre community park will open as our first new property on Cape Cod since 2013.
- We acquired the 280-acre Becket Historic Quarry & Forest in Becket, which will become our newest property in the state, our 15th in the Berkshires and our 123rd overall.
