Emma Louise Shattuck Offers Town Gift of Land For Parkway-This Day in Norwood History-June 17, 1938

On a June evening in 1938, the Norwood Board of Selectmen received a significant and forward‑looking proposal from Mrs. Edmund J. Shattuck, who offered a gift of land that could make possible a long‑discussed parkway connection linking the cemetery, Shattuck Park, Nichols Street, and the center of town. Her offer involved a portion of her property on Winter Street, which she was willing to donate for the creation of a parkway that would extend the existing Nichols Street parkway directly toward the town center.

The Selectmen, acting on a motion by Selectman John Mutch, voted to refer the proposal to the Planning Board and to notify Mrs. Shattuck of this action. The letter through which she made her offer was formally submitted and reprinted in full, providing a detailed account of the history behind her earlier gift of land and her vision for completing the parkway system first imagined more than a decade earlier.

June 14, 1938

Mr, Sture Nelson, Chairman Board of Selectmen Norwood, Massachusetts My dear Mr. Nelson:

In 1922 two of the outstanding buildings of the town were the Civic Association and the Day Memorial Chapel. It was about this time that a forward-looking Town Planning Committee saw the need of securing open spaces for park sites — the John Smith property, I remember was one mentioned. It occurred to me that possibly the wooded property, now the Shattuck Memorial Park, might be an acceptable gift. The Committee and Mr. Arthur Shurcliff were enthusiastic over my offer. Mr. Shurcliff said the town was fortunate in having such a large wooded area close by its center available for park purposes. The location, too, was perfect in that it would be a link in the proposed parkway connecting the Day Memorial Chapel and the Civic Association.

The Park was given. A fitting memorial to my husband who forty years before with several others made every effort to have the town take over land on Walpole Street for a park. The motion was lost by one vote. The land, however, was later given as a part of the attractive Bond Street Park.

When it came time to consider the completion of the parkway from Bond to Nichols Street (the part from Washington to Bond had been built more or less following the original plan) the Selectmen, on account of opposition, failed to act favorably.

Now that Nichols Street has become a through State Parkway, with Westover coming along with the promise of an unusually beautiful development, and the plans for the beautification of the cemetery approach actually materializing, it would seem necessary that there be some connection between the cemetery, the park, Nichols street, and the town.

This new plan of using a part of Winter Street for a parkway would require some of my property. I have already stated to Mr. Kendrick that I shall be glad to give to the town the land needed, provided the plan meets with my approval, and provided that the replanting, etc. is done by the town, satisfactory to me.

Very truly yours,

MRS. EDMUND J. SHATTUCK

Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Norwood Messenger