[4] Part of the Watertown–Cambridge Greenway,[5] a rail trail on the alignment of the former Watertown Branch Railroad, runs along the east side of the pond.

In the early 1800s clay was removed from the swamps surrounding Fresh Pond for use in the brick making industry.

In the mid-19th century, the Pond was privately owned and home to a flourishing ice-harvesting industry, with ice shipped as far as Europe, China, and India.

By the end of the century the Pond and the land surrounding it was entirely city-owned, and an elaborate public water supply system had been developed.

From there it flows back to Cambridge, with gravity providing the pressure to distribute drinking water to residents and businesses.