Editing Lynn, Massachusetts (section)

==Parks and recreation==

Lynn was among the first communities in America to set aside a significant portion of its total land areas for open space—initially to secure a common public wood source. In 1693, Lynn restricted use of areas today encompassed by the [[Lynn Woods Reservation]], and imposed fines for removing young trees. Although this land area was subsequently divided, in 1706, rights of public access were maintained, and, during the 19th century, recreational use of the woods increased.<ref name="nps.gov">{{Cite web|url=https://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/massachusetts_conservation/lynnwoods.html|title=Lynn Woods Historic District--MA Conservation: A Discover Our Shared Heritage Travel Itinerary|website=www.nps.gov|access-date=2018-11-03|archive-date=November 3, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181103210405/https://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/massachusetts_conservation/lynnwoods.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 1850, the first hiking club in New England—the Lynn Exploring Circle—was established. In 1881, a group of Lynn residents organized the Trustees of the Free Public Forest to protect Lynn Woods by acquiring land and gifting it to the city.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LTICAAAAYAAJ&q=%22trustees+of+the+free+public+forest%22&pg=RA1-PA10|title=Annual Report of the Park Commissioners of the City of Lynn ...|date=1890|publisher=The Commissioners|language=en|access-date=October 18, 2020|archive-date=February 15, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230215201536/https://books.google.com/books?id=LTICAAAAYAAJ&q=%22trustees+of+the+free+public+forest%22&pg=RA1-PA10|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Frederick Law Olmsted]] was hired as a design consultant for Lynn Woods, in 1889, whereupon he recommended keeping the land wild, adding only limited public access improvements.<ref name="nps.gov"/>

Lynn Woods was among the natural resources that inspired landscape architect [[Charles Eliot (landscape architect)|Charles Eliot]] and others to create Boston's [[Metropolitan Park System of Greater Boston|Metropolitan Park System]]. In 1893, Eliot noted that Lynn Woods ''"constitute the largest and most interesting, because the wildest, public domain in all New England."''<ref name="nps.gov"/>

Today, Lynn has 49 parks encompassing 1,540 aggregate acres, representing about 22% of the city's total 6,874-acre land area. Consequently, 96% of all Lynn residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park or open space.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://parkserve.org/city/id/2537490/|title=ParkServe|website=ParkServe|publisher=The Trust for Public Land|access-date=November 9, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171110005311/https://parkserve.org/city/id/2537490/|archive-date=November 10, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=U.S. Census Bureau Quick Facts|url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/lynncitymassachusetts/PST045216|website=U.S. Census Bureau Quick Facts|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|access-date=November 9, 2017}}</ref> The city's parks and open spaces include:

* [[Lynn Shore Reservation]]
* [[Lynn Woods Reservation]], the largest municipal park in New England, at {{convert|2200|acre|km2}}. The bulk of the Reservation's land area is situated in the City of Lynn, but portions fall within the boundaries of adjoining municipalities. Several historical sites such as Stone Tower, Steel Tower, the Wolf Pits, and [[Captain Veale#Thomas Veale's Buried Treasure|Dungeon Rock]], believed to be the site of still-unrecovered pirate treasure, are located here. Many schools have cross-country track meets in Lynn Woods. 
* [[Lynn Common Historic District|Lynn Commons]], an area between North and South Common Streets.
* [[Lynn Heritage State Park]]
* [[High Rock Tower Reservation|High Rock Tower]], a stone observation tower with a view of [[Nahant, Massachusetts|Nahant]], [[Boston]], Downtown Lynn, [[Egg Rock (Nahant Bay)|Egg Rock]], and the ocean. The top of the structure houses a telescope, which is open for the public to use.<ref>{{cite web|title=High Rock Park, Tower and Observatory|url=http://www.ci.lynn.ma.us/attractions_highrocktower.shtml|website=Official Website|access-date=2017-06-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081004213914/http://www.ci.lynn.ma.us/attractions_highrocktower.shtml|archive-date=October 4, 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* [[Pine Grove Cemetery (Lynn, Massachusetts)|Pine Grove Cemetery]], an intact [[rural cemetery]], and one of the largest cemeteries in the country. ''[[Ripley's Believe It or Not]]'' once claimed the [[fieldstone]] wall around the cemetery was the "second longest contiguous stone wall in the world", after the Great Wall of China.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lynnmuseum.org/exhibits_collections/vintage_postcards_of_lynn/pine_grove_cemetery.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110727051202/http://www.lynnmuseum.org/exhibits_collections/vintage_postcards_of_lynn/pine_grove_cemetery.html |archive-date=July 27, 2011 |title=Pine Grove Cemetery |access-date=2023-01-17 }}</ref>
* [[Spring Pond]], historic retreat of wild woodlands.
*Goldfish Pond/Lafayette Park
* [[Northern Strand Community Trail]] connects<ref>{{cite web |url=https://biketothesea.org/2021/11/20/ribbon-cutting-for-lynn-section-of-northern-strand-path/ |title=Ribbon Cutting for Lynn Section of Northern Strand Path |work=Bike to the Sea, Inc. |quote=On Friday, November 19th, ... a ribbon cutting to officially open the newly completed paving and improvements on the Northern Strand in Lynn. |date=2021-11-20 |access-date=2021-12-10 |archive-date=December 10, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211210163945/https://biketothesea.org/2021/11/20/ribbon-cutting-for-lynn-section-of-northern-strand-path/ |url-status=live |last1=Chiarenza |first1=Jonah }}</ref> Lynn with [[Revere, Massachusetts|Revere]], [[Saugus, Massachusetts|Saugus]], [[Malden, Massachusetts|Malden]], and [[Everett, Massachusetts]].<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/regionals/north/2016/11/05/learn-about-community-path-lynn/hmkJ03q0Z7I2B09fULWtqM/story.html |title=Learn about the Community Path of Lynn |work=[[The Boston Globe]] |access-date=2021-12-10 |archive-date=May 24, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180524082551/https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/regionals/north/2016/11/05/learn-about-community-path-lynn/hmkJ03q0Z7I2B09fULWtqM/story.html |url-status=live }}</ref>