Travel through the past twelve decades and learn about milestones in our history!
1890s 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s
1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s
1890
In January, Charles Eliot writes letter to periodical Garden & Forest stating the case for the creation of a private statewide conservation and preservation organization.
1891
On May 21, Massachusetts Governor William E. Russell signs into law Chapter 352 of the Acts of 1891, thus establishing The Trustees of (Public) Reservations as the nation's first private statewide conservation and preservation organization.
20-acre Virginia Woods in Stoneham is acquired as The Trustees' first property (conveyed in 1923 to the Metropolitan District Commission and now part of Middlesex Fells Reservation.)
Charles Eliot helps to establish the state's first regional park district called the Metropolitan Park Commission (today's Metropolitan District Commission).
1892
The Trustees publishes "The Province Lands Report" which reveals the human abuses occurring on the dune lands of the outer Cape Cod and directly leads to legislative approval of a state management program over these 4,000 acres.
The Trustees publishes an inventory called "The Public Holdings of the Shore Towns of Massachusetts" which demonstrated the rapid privatization and development of the state's shorelines and the consequent loss of access to seaside recreation spots for a rapidly growing population.
1897
Born on November 1, 1859, Charles Eliot dies of cerebro-spinal meningitis on March 25. 1897 at the young age of 37.
1st Reservation established: Rocky Narrows, Sherborn.
2nd Reservation established: Mount Ann Park, Gloucester.
1898
3rd Reservation established: Governor Hutchinson's Field, Milton.
1899
4th Reservation established: Monument Mountain, Great Barrington.
1905
5th Reservation established: Petticoat Hill, Williamsburg.
No major achievements.
1925
The Trustees and ten other private groups (including the Appalachian Mountain Club, Massachusetts Audubon Society, and the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities) organize a landmark conference entitled "The Needs and Uses of Open Spaces," beginning a long-tradition of collaboration in open space planning among private conservation organizations and government agencies. The conference led to a report in 1929 emphasizing the need to protect the state's rural character and countryside and the importance of identifying and describing the qualities and characteristics of specific sites which should be preserved. Today, nearly every site listed has been protected by either a state or federal agency or a nonprofit conservation organization, including The Trustees.
1927
6th Reservation established: The William Cullen Bryant Homestead, Cummington, the first historic house property of The Trustees of Reservations.
1929
7th Reservation established: Chesterfield Gorge, Chesterfield.
1933
Publication of the "Landscape Survey of Massachusetts," sponsored jointly by The Trustees of Reservations and the American Society of Landscape Architects. This survey identified and suggested future uses and means of conserving landscapes having special character and outstanding scenic or historic value. Many landscapes now under the care of The Trustees are described in this survey, including Crane Beach, Crane Wildlife Refuge, Greenwood Farm, Old Town Hill, Stavros Reservation, Bartholomew's Cobble, and several reservations along the upper Charles River.
8th Reservation established: Whitney and Thayer Woods, Cohasset and Hingham.
1934
9th Reservation established: Medfield Rhododendrons, Medfield.
10th Reservation established: Halibut Point Reservation, Rockport.
1935
11th Reservation established: Dinosaur Footprints, Holyoke.
12th Reservation established: Misery Islands, Salem Bay.
1936
13th Reservation established: Pine and Hemlock Knoll, Wenham.
1939
14th Reservation established: The Old Manse, Concord.
1940
15th Reservation established: Ward Reservation, Andover and North Andover.
1941
16th Reservation established: Elliott Laurel, Phillipston.
1942
17th Reservation established: Rocky Woods, Medfield.
18th Reservation established: Lowell Holly, Mashpee and Sandwich.
1944
19th Reservation established: Holmes Reservation, Plymouth.
1945
20th Reservation established: Crane Beach, Ipswich.
1946
21st Reservation established: Bartholomew's Cobble, Sheffield.
1948
22nd Reservation established: The Mission House, Stockbridge.
1949
23rd Reservation established: Castle Hill, Ipswich.
1951
24th Reservation established: Royalston Falls, Royalston.
1952
25th Reservation established: Old Town Hill, Newbury.
1953
26th Reservation established: Redemption Rock, Princeton.
1955
27th Reservation established: Crowninshield Island, Marblehead.
1956
The Bay Circuit 'greenway' is enacted in August after years of advocacy by numerous individuals and groups, including The Trustees. For many years, conservation groups, including The Trustees, have worked to protect and provide public access to land along this proposed 'greenway,' and, since 1990, the Bay Circuit Alliance has secured numerous public trail easements across private land in communities along the Bay Circuit.
28th Reservation established: Pegan Hill, Dover and Natick.
1957
29th Reservation established: Pierce Reservation, Milton.
30th Reservation established: Agassiz Rock, Manchester-by-the-Sea.
1959
31st Reservation established: Cape Poge Wildlife Refuge, Martha's Vineyard.
32nd Reservation established: Naumkeag, Stockbridge.
33rd Reservation established: Mashpee River Reservation, Mashpee.
34th Reservation established: Doane's Falls, Royalston.
35th Reservation established: Noon Hill, Medfield.
1960
36th Reservation established: Charles River Peninsula, Needham.
1962
37th Reservation established: The Stevens-Coolidge Place, North Andover.
38th Reservation established: Tantiusques, Sturbridge.
1963
39th Reservation established: Tyringham Cobble, Tyringham.
1964
40th Reservation established: Chapelbrook, Ashfield.
41st Reservation established: Glendale Falls, Middlefield.
1965
42nd Reservation established: Notchview, Windsor.
1966
43rd Reservation established: Menemsha Hills, Martha's Vineyard.
44th Reservation established: Fork Factory Brook, Medfield.
The William Cullen Bryant Homestead in Cummington is designated a National Historic Landmark.
The Old Manse in Concord is designated a National Historic Landmark.
Gordon Abbott, Jr. is hired as the organization's first staff Executive Director, serving until 1984.
1967
45th Reservation established: World's End, Hingham.
46th Reservation established: Wasque, Martha's Vineyard.
1968
47th Reservation established: Medfield Meadow Lots, Medfield.
48th Reservation established: Bear's Den, New Salem.
49th Reservation established: Weir Hill, Andover.
50th Reservation established: Bear Swamp, Ashfield.
The Mission House in Stockbridge is designated a National Historic Landmark.
1969
The Trustees plays a leading role on the "Governor's Advisory Commission on Open Space and Outdoor Recreation" resulting in the publication of a report recommending the protection of many sites around the state via a proposed state-wide system of community-based land use planning initiatives.
1970
To update the 1933 Massachusetts Landscape Survey, The Trustees publishes the "Landscape & Natural Areas Study for Massachusetts," identifying more than 2,400 sites of conservation importance and setting priorities for a more coordinated and comprehensive approach to land protection throughout the state.
51st Reservation established: Norris Reservation, Norwell.
52nd Reservation established: Shattuck Reservation, Medfield.
53rd Reservation established: Appleton Farms Grass Rides, Hamilton.
1971
Bartholomew's Cobble in Sheffield is placed on the National Registry of Natural Landmarks.
1972
54th Reservation established: The Colonel John Ashley House, Sheffield.
The Trustees launch a conservation restriction program (known in other states as "conservation easements"). Five parcels (135 acres) along the upper Charles River in Sherborn are the first properties to be protected by Trustees-held CRs.
The Trustees' affiliate, the Massachusetts Land Conservation Trust, Inc. is first formed to acquire property on a temporary basis until permanent conservation arrangements can be made.
1974
55th Reservation established: Crane Wildlife Refuge, Ipswich and Essex.
56th Reservation established: Bridge Island Meadows, Millis.
57th Reservation established: Coskata-Coatue Wildlife Refuge, Nantucket.
1975
58th Reservation established: Brooks Woodland Preserve, Petersham.
59th Reservation established: North Common Meadow, Petersham.
60th Reservation established: Jacobs Hill, Royalston.
61st Reservation established: Greenwood Farm, Ipswich.
The Colonel John Ashley House in Sheffield is placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Naumkeag in Stockbridge is placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
1976
62rd Reservation established: Mytoi, Martha's Vineyard.
1977
63rd Reservation established: McLennan Reservation, Otis & Tyringham.
1978
Advocacy work by The Trustees helps pass an Open Space Bond providing substantial funding for open space protection.
1979
64th Reservation established: Long Hill, Beverly.
65th Reservation established: Long Point Wildlife Refuge, Martha's Vineyard.
The Stevens-Coolidge Place in North Andover is placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
1980
The Trustees acquires its first conservation restriction on the scenic North River, listed in 1977 on the National Registry of Natural Landmarks. Today, The Trustees protects over 175 acres along the North River in Norwell and Marshfield.
1981
66th Reservation established: Doyle Reservation, Leominster.
1982
67th Reservation established: Stavros Reservation, Essex.
The Department of Environmental Management, at the instigation of and with support from The Trustees, publishes the "Massachusetts Landscape Inventory: a Survey of the Commonwealth's Scenic Areas." This survey focuses on the identification of larger scenic landscapes important for their natural, scenic, and historic features. The survey focuses on the use of progressive conservation techniques (such as conservation restrictions, transfers of development rights, visual easements, siting and design guidelines, zoning regulations, and public education) to protect landscapes in the future.
The Trustees participates in the founding in Boston of the Land Trust Exchange, now the national Land Trust Alliance.
North Common Meadow in Petersham is placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
1983
Advocacy work by The Trustees helps pass an Open Space Bond providing substantial funding for open space protection in Massachusetts.
Tantiusques in Sturbridge is placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
68th Reservation established: Swift River Reservation, Petersham.
Land protected through Trustees-held conservation restrictions surpasses the 5,000-acre mark.
1984
69th Reservation established: Noanet Woodlands, Dover.
70th Reservation established: Field Farm, Williamstown.
Fred Winthrop is hired as the organization's second staff Executive Director, serving until 2000.
1985
The Trustees defeats a proposed condominium development on the slopes of Monument Mountain in Great Barrington, acquiring the land at issue and expanding the Reservation.
1986
71st Reservation established: Goose Pond Reservation, Lee.
The Trustees acquires its first of three conservation restrictions on land out-of-state in Salisbury, Connecticut adjacent to Bartholomew's Cobble. Today, three parcels of land in Salisbury comprising over 500 acres are protected by Trustees-held CRs.
1987
Cape Poge Lighthouse at Cape Poge Wildlife Refuge on Martha's Vineyard is placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Trustees and the Essex County Greenbelt Association publish the first edition of "Land Conservation Options: A Guide for Massachusetts Landowners." It soon becomes the definitive landowner handbook for conserving land in Massachusetts.
1988
72nd Reservation established: Peters Reservation, Dover.
The Trustees accepts its first historic preservation restriction on the Captain Daniel Bradford House and 8 acres of land in Duxbury.
In cooperation with The Nature Conservancy, The Trustees facilitates the purchase by the Town of Mashpee of the 245-acre Mashpee River Woodlands, across the pristine Mashpee River Estuary from Mashpee River Reservation, thus avoiding the development of 200+ condominiums.
The Trustees organizes the first annual Massachusetts Land Trust Conference.
1989
The Trustees advocates successfully for legislation creating the Cape Cod Commission.
1990
73rd Reservation established: Coolidge Reservation, Manchester-by-the-Sea.
The Paine House at Greenwood Farm in Ipswich is placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
1991
The Trustees of Reservations celebrates its Centennial.
74th Reservation established: The Eleanor Cabot Bradley Estate, Canton.
The Trustees leads the organization of the Massachusetts Land Trust Coalition, of which over half of all land trusts and conservation organizations in Massachusetts now belong.
1992
Membership in The Trustees of Reservations breaks 10,000 member mark for the fist time.
1993
75th Reservation established: Rock House Reservation, West Brookfield.
76th Reservation established: Ravenswood Park, Gloucester.
77th Reservation established: Hamlin Reservation, Ipswich.
78th Reservation established: Chase Woodlands, Dover.
79th Reservation established: Two Mile Reservation, Marshfield.
The Trustees publishes Saving Special Places: A Centennial History of The Trustees of Reservations, Pioneer of the Land Trust Movement. (Buy)
1994
The Trustees helps to successfully oppose an attempt by state administration to dismember the Metropolitan District Commission by transferring its parkways to the Massachusetts Highway Department.
Membership in The Trustees of Reservations breaks 15,000 member mark for the fist time.
1995
Land protected through Trustees-held conservation restrictions surpasses the 10,000-acre mark.
1996
80th Reservation established: Questing, New Marlborough.
81st Reservation established: Ashintully Gardens, Tyringham.
Advocacy work by The Trustees helps pass the River Protection Act, providing regulatory protection of riparian habitat within 200 feet of the state's rivers and permanent streams.
Advocacy work by The Trustees helps pass an Open Space Bond providing almost $400 million for open space protection in Massachusetts.
1997
The Trustees completes "Trustees 2000," an organization-wide strategic plan to guide the organization into the new millennium
1998
82nd Reservation established: Malcolm Preserve, Carlisle (jointly owned and managed with Carlisle Conservation Foundation).
83rd Reservation established: Appleton Farms, Hamilton and Ipswich.
84th Reservation established: Mountain Meadow Preserve, Williamstown.
Castle Hill in Ipswich is designated a National Historic Landmark.
Advocacy work by The Trustees helps pass the Landowner Liability Act Amendments, extending liability protections to private landowners who provide free public access to their land.
The Trustees advocates successfully for the creation of the Cape Cod Land Bank, bringing a conservation idea successful on Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket to the mainland.
The Trustees, along with Historic Massachusetts, successfully support a Department of Environmental Management pilot program proposal for state funding of a statewide inventory of cultural landscapes.
1999
85th Reservation established: Weir River Farm, Hingham.
86th Reservation established: Dexter Drumlin, Lancaster.
87th Reservation established: Peaked Mountain, Monson.
Membership in The Trustees of Reservations breaks 20,000 member mark.
The Trustees announce a progressive vision and protection plan for the Massachusetts landscape in a major report entitled "Conserving Our Common Wealth: A Vision for the Massachusetts Landscape." The Plan argues for adopting a much broader definition of what makes a landscape worthy of conservation, embracing scenic, historic, and ecological values. Priorities include protecting: (1) natural landscapes, such as wetland systems and ridge lines, and cultural or historic landscapes, such as farms and country places; (2) landscapes representative of each region of Massachusetts; (3) landscapes that serve urban communities; (4) landscapes that protect open space corridors and connections; and (5) landscapes near our existing reservations. In the course of developing the vision, more than 450 unprotected sites across the state were identified of which some 200 were earmarked for action by The Trustees with remaining sites being referred to other organizations, land trusts, or local or state government agencies. The Plan highlights the need to expand the use of perpetual conservation restrictions, undertake ambitious, collaborative acquisition and land management projects, and find a better way to provide information and technical assistance on projects to conservation-minded landowners and municipalities.
2000
88th Reservation established: Slocum's River Reserve, Dartmouth (jointly owned and managed with Dartmouth Natural Resources Trust).
89th Reservation established: Dry Hill, New Marlborough.
The Trustees publishes Land of the Commonwealth: A Portrail of the Conserved Landscapes of Massachusetts by photographer Richard Cheek. (Buy)
Andy Kendall is hired as the organization's third staff Executive Director.
2001
90th Reservation established: Quinebaug Woods, Sturbridge.
91st Reservation established: Lyman Reserve, Bourne, Plymouth, and Wareham.
2002
92nd Reservation established: Copicut Woods, Fall River
93th Reservation established: Little Tom Mountain, Holyoke (not yet open to the public)
Membership in The Trustees of Reservations breaks 30,000 member mark for the first time.
2003
94th Reservation established: Francis William Bird Park, Walpole.
Membership in The Trustees of Reservations breaks 40,000 member mark for the first time.