Magazine Beach

Magazine Beach is Cambridge's second largest park,[1] being about 15 acres (6.1 ha)[2] stretching along the river from Pleasant Street to the BU Bridge.

[3] In the 17th century, the Massachusetts Bay Company granted land and other emoluments to one Captain Daniel Patrick, an English veteran of the Dutch War of Independence, as part of an arrangement whereby Captain Patrick would see to the building of fortifications, training of militia, and other defensive measures.

Under the direction of the Olmsted Brothers, marshland was filled in, Captain's Island thus becoming part of the mainland, and the waterfront was graded down to a beach.

[5] From the late 1800s to the mid-1900s, Cambridgeport was a factory area, and the beach was popular with workers (many being immigrants) who lived there.

[2] In 1912, the Riverside Boat Club built its new boathouse upriver of the area on what were then mud flats but is now part of Magazine Beach Park.

[5] The Inner Belt six-lane limited-access highway was planned to pass directly through the area, obliterating Magazine Beach, but the project was canceled in 1971 after intense protests.

New facilities included a canoe and kayak launch site, a splash deck, and a widened riverside foot path.