This is part of a series photographing and reviewing playgrounds and parks in the Boston Metro Area; playgrounds and parks are an important part of the infrastructure that promotes healthy early childhood development; they should be celebrated and invested in to support young children and their families. (unfortunately, parks are currently closed due to COVID-19)

So far, we have looked at:

1. Perkins School For The Blind’s Playground

2. Pat and Gabriel Farren Playground (Watertown)

3. Transportation Children Center’s Playground (Boston)

4. Irving Park (Watertown)

5. Smith Playground in Allston

6. Watertown’s 552 Main St Playground

7. Mother’s Rest Playground along The Muddy River

8. Clifford Playground (Boston)

9. Dorothy Curran Playground at Joe Moakley Park (South Boston)

10. Martin Richard’s Part at The Smith Family Waterfront (Boston)

11. Filippello Playground (Watertown)

12: Artesani Playground (Brighton/Along Charles River)

13. Lowell Playground in Waltham

This post will focus on Bemis Playground. This playground is part of a 1.9 Arce Park in the western part of Watertown Massachusetts. The name of the Playground is from Seth Bemis who ran the Bemis Mills in the 1800s during the Industrial revolution which produced paper and cotton cloth. The entire Bemis family were prominent members of Watertown in for over 150 years and had their lives chronicled in 1900 in the book “BEMIS HISTORY AND GENEALOGY : being an account, in greater part of the descendants of Joseph Bemis ..., of Watertown, Mass”

Bemis Park has been enjoyed for generations of Watertown residents. It has received various upgrades over the years. ”Stop & Shop donated $60,000 to rebuild the tot lot and install new benches and tables in 1996-1997. A new overhead track rider was installed in 2000. The tot lot received a new rubberized surface in 2005. A batting cage was constructed on the west side of the park in 2001. Street parking is available; there is no on-site parking. The playground serves as both a neighborhood tot lot and as a little league baseball field. A basketball court and street hockey court are installed at the western edge of the lot. An irrigation system was added to the park in 2002” (source: page 47 https://www.ci.watertown.ma.us/DocumentCenter/View/2303/2008-Update-Open-Space-Rec-Plan-2005?bidId=)

Below are pictures of how it looks April 2020. (currently closed due to COVID-19)