Our Parks - March's Hill

Address: This 5+ acre Park is located on High Street at the top of Bromfield Street.

Features

• The March’s Hill area is a recreational area providing biking, hiking, pet exercise, walking, and winter sledding. The winter sledding scene is often referred to as a setting for a Gramma Moses painting.
• There are concrete steps to navigate the steepest areas of the Hill.
• There is limited, on-street parking but the park is also accessible via the Clipper City Rail Trail. 
• The Rail Trail system, with a wide paved walkway and numerous benches, stretches through March’s Hill from High Street to Parker Street.
• Along the March’s Hill portion of the Rail Trail, there is a placard paying tribute to the people who built the railroad over March’s Hill in 1871.
• There are no restroom facilities or evening lighting. 

History

• In the early 19th century, the Hill was used to spot enemy British ships nearing the harbor.
• The Hill was the scene of the town’s 4Th of July fireworks in the late 1800s.
• In 1939 the WPA completed a 500,000 gallon water tower on the Hill.
• March’s Hill was established in 1954 and named for the March family, early settlers of Newbury before 1650.
• Clara de Windt deeded the land to the city for a playground. She strongly opposed a supermarket that had been proposed for the site.