Castle Island
and
Fort Independence
Castle Island is a public park and historic site that is located in South Boston. First opened to guests in 1892 and officially declared a public park in 1909 when the national government relinquished control of the fort the park was very successful and popular. The park is part of Fredrick Law Olmstead’s “Emerald Necklace park system and also is part of Boston’s Harbor Island parks. With the exception of brief interruptions in times of war (The Spanish American War (1898), World War I (1918) and World War II (1942) the park and fort were accessible to visitors. Maintained by Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) formerly known as Metropolitan District Commission (MDC) Castle Island is still vastly popular. It has become a popular spot for day trippers and history buffs alike. For the history major in the family, the Castle Island Association offers tours of the fort, also outside of the fort within the park grounds are multiple memorials that one can inspect and learn about at their own leisure. Close to the parking lot is Sullivan’s restaurant which has a rich history all its own and maintains a great symbiotic relationship with the Department of Conservation and Recreation drawing in visitors that may otherwise not be inclined to visit. The park is open as a beach and allows people to swim in the ocean, it includes a sailing club that is free to children of South Boston and there is also small playground for children of any city or town. Additionally, there is a pier for fishing (the pier even has fixed bait tables, although they are slightly skewed as they were installed by a novice landscaper). For the casual walker or jogger Castle Island is a great spot because of the walkway installed connecting Castle Island to Pleasure Bay, to the locals this is known as “the sugar bowl”. Lastly Department of Conservation and Recreation has informational billboards on the island and invited visitors to planned programming including educational programs in the summer run by DCR Seasonal Interpretive Staff and events such as plays, 5k’s and historical reenactments.
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Plans for Marine Park by Olmstead