Existing comment:
Charlestown Training Field / Winthrop Square
Three Centuries of Use & Transformation
First notes in the 1640s as a "well-established public place"
Training Fields were an integral part of early New England landscapes. On annual "Muster Days" the local Militia here for roll call, inspection, & parade. The entire town gathered to socialize and watch the citizen-soldiers fulfill their civic obligation.
The Charlestown Training Field, one of the "common lands" of the settlement, was first mentioned in the 1640s, making it one of New England's earliest training fields.
In 1775 the English, including burned Charlestown, including its Training Fields. The towns reconstruction in the 1780s created new streets, lanes & squares and extended older streets, including "Training Fields Street" the original lane leading here.
In the 1848 the Training Field was renamed Winthrop Square to honor John Winthrop, a Puritan clergyman and first Colonial governor of Massachusetts. Although the name never "took" in Charlestown, it marks an important transition from a utilitarian semi-rural open field to the urban park you see today. |