About Jamaica Park
Alternate name(s): Jamaicaway, Jamaica Pond
In an 1881 letter, Frederick Law Olmsted described Jamaica Park as “a natural sheet of water, with quiet graceful shores, rear banks of varied elevation and contour, for the most part shaded by a fine natural forest-growth.” Olmsted made few changes to the 60 acres designated for the park, in order to maintain the natural beauty of the glacial water feature. He designed a 1.5-mile-long walking path around the circular pond. The eastern edge of the path bordered Jamaicaway, serving as a link to connecting Olmsted Park (00964) to the Arborway (00901). [FLO to Charles Henry Dalton_1881-12-29_Papers of FLO-v.7-p.569]