I remember going to the Greenhill Park zoo many times.

Originally the Green estate, this tract of land was sold to the city in 1905 for almost $55,000 (1905 dollars). It is believed that the fish pond was once stocked with German carp.

Andrew Green later became known as "Father of Greater New York" for his role in planning the growth of NYC and in reserving lands for recreation and park uses including Central Park.

Our family went to Green Hill Park often in the 60's. I especially remember the buffalo, peacock, and elk. We always brought a picnic lunch and usually we would end up feeding bread from our sandwiches to the carp.

As a younster,I spent just about all of my recreation time at beautiful Green Hills. In the Summer there was swimming in the big pond. In Winter there was skaing on both the big and small pons.There was sking and sleding on both sides of Crown Hill.Green Hills remains one of my fondest memories of my home town.I was born in Worcester and graduated from Holy Cross.The Depression was a harsh time for money but Green Hills offered a wonderful range of of entertainment for free.

To the comment above about the carp. I can tell you that in the 50's the carp were huge. To this 5 year old boy they looked to be about three feet long. I remember that they could swallow a whole slice of bread in one gulp. Once a year they had a fishing day at the pond. I never got to go fishing threr. My parents were afraid I'ld get a bite and a big carp would pull a little 5 year old boy into the pond. I have some great memories of that park.

There many hiking trails in the park on both sides of Skyline Drive. On the east side of the road is the East Side trail. It runs from East Park to Coal Mine Brook at Lake Quinsigamond. You do not have much time left to hike it as the new Voke School is going to be situated in the middle of the trail. From this trail you can still see the remnants of the old quarries that were there even before the Green family owned the property. There broken chisels in the granit and remnants of the blacksmith shops that were there to sharpen and repair the tools of the people taking the granite. One hundred acres of this park were declared common land for the people of Worcester to mine the granite. This law is still in effect today.It has been chalanged in the State Judicial Court in the past and the law has been upheld. Paul P.

I remember the old rusty firetruck that used to be where the new Greenhill Park zoo is now. Also, it's a shame that the whole swing and slide complex was removed. What a great time I'd have sliding down the huge slide attached to a rocketship. I also recall sledding over on that steep hill that is above the ballfield. What a magnificent place, I'm glad that it won't be destroyed by placing a school there.

Many memories as a kid growin up in worcester/lincoln st. area.. many years of little league baseball there.

I remember going to the greenhill park zoo in the 1960S when I was a kid with my Father Now deseased, also playing on the slide that looked like a space ship,and the cynderella carraige...also wondering if it is still there. I now live in Cleveland Ohio...But remember Greenhill park with fond memories. James Farris

I remenber going to green hill to see buffolo's when i was a kid many years ago

In the early 60s, my parents would take us here to snow ski in the winter. The city ran a small rope-tow down from where the "Bisson" were. Would go here every year for Forth of July Fireworks.

We always saved our stale bread to feed to the deer and giant carp at Greenhill Park. Some of these fish must have been five feet long. I was always afraid that they would eat me if I fell in. I later learned that they have no teeth, but it was still a thrill seeing them come up for the pieces of bread.

With respect to the comment about The park becoming a high school. Only a very small part of the park, and that's wel away from all the real parts of the park as to not even affect the park. It will be on the site of the former Belmont Home which was at the entrance on Belmont street. Another entrance which was from Rodney Street, has been closed off and the Mass state Vietnam Veteran's Memorial is located at that edge of the park. There are now two entrances, one from Belmont Street and one at the Western side of the park off of Lincoln Street and only one exit, the same as the one from Belmont Street. That Entrance/exit is where the new Vocational High School will be near.

Green Hill Park still going strong today!! (as 9/8/03) The park was remodelled last year and The Vietnam Memorial Wall of Central Massachusetts was build there, the school you mentioned Worcester Vocacional (Voke) is going to be build near Green Hill Park, but the park will sure stay for generations to come....thanks!! For the wonderful photos of the past (I love every single one of then) from my favorite town & the one I call home for almost 29 years... "WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS" Ana M. Rodriguez Worcester, Ma

I remember the entrance because I grew up on Westminster Street and my brother played little league and we would pass through the entrance and feel like we were transported into another time zone. Also the fishing area held an annual spear fishing tournament - it was used to get rid of some of the carp that was in the pond.

My dad told me this park was larger than the country of Monaco! We used to picnic there, visit the buffalo pen (but never too closely -- they were big and scary and not of a mild temper. Fireworks on the 4th of July were a happy custom. This would be mid 1940's thru early 60's

We use to feed the "huge" carp rolls that were leftover from my grandmothers restaurant, The Frankin Manor. I had forgotten about the buffalo and other animals up at Greenhill park. Great site!!

I remember the Space Ship slide and the Cinderella carriage, too! I loved it! I Remember Green Hill had so many slides to play on! It was great! I have 2 little girls now & I wish they still had all those slides. They really need to expand the play area for the kids there. I mean, there's no swings! A park needs to have swings! Even though, Green Hill is where I always bring the girls. It's well taken care of..a lot of the parks thruout Worcester are real gross and they need to be kept up!

Who remembers the old play ground at this park. The Rocket? Well, the metal chain like bridge that we had to walk up took a good chunck out of my knee when I attempted to slide down on a 90 degree day! Ouch.....That was the good ol' days though. I miss the farm too. The Peacock! LOL Mermories are the best

It was my great-grandfather, George D. Webb, who in 1872 began what was to become one of the most sucessful quarry businesses in New England by utilizing the granite at Millstone Hill quarry in Green Hill Park. Would appreciate any additional information as Paul Powers has provided.

The pictures of Green Hill Park brought back so many fond memories.My sisters, cousins and I spent many a day playing there. The "park lady" would bring games everyday during the summer months, and the winter.. a wonderland for skating ( and even skiing for a while) . I drive through the park once in a while when I go back to visit friends and relatives..and I am always struck by the fact that such a wonderful gem still remains right in the middle of the city.

I lived on Olga Ave in the early 60's and spent many summer afternoons blueberrying and picking in the woods between there and Green Hill Park and always ended up where they kept the Deer.

As a younster in the 80's,I spent just about all of my time at beautiful Green Hill Park. In the Summer feeding the ducks with my small children. In Winter there was skaing on the small pond.There was sking and sleding.Green Hill park remains one of my fondest memories of my home town.I was born in Worcester.

Those slides (that you probably couldn't have today given our litigious society) were just about the most exciting thing ever to me as a kid. I remember bordering on vertigo the first times I climbed all the way up to the top of the rocketship. If I saw it now, I'm sure I'd laugh at the size, but back then, it might as well have been a Saturn V. I also have many fond memories of the old and new zoos, fishing in the pond, and picking blueberries with my grandmother. I need to head back there one day soon.

Many visits o Green Hill Park in 1940s 1950s up.Too bad they nessed it up, with changes, and rerouting traffic and parts taken here and there .It was better in the 1940-50s. There was a trolley, when Worcester had trolley cars, that ran right uphill to the gate of park, behind memorial Hospital at one time.

Wow! So much to comment about on this page. (I would love to see some more pics besides postcard views from 100 years ago.) First of all, I can't believe nobody mentioned the NAME of the "Slides shaped like rocket ships with the giant slides". It was called "Astro City"! I am sure it was built in the late 1960s, because I can recall going there right when it opened. I would have been like 8-9 years old. My mother used to take us kids there and it was a thrill. I vaguely remember the zoo, and would love to know when the zoo closed. And when was Astro City torn down? The zoo was on the same side as Astro City, farther north. I think across the street from that was a fenced in area where they had deer. I seem to recall that some dirtbag shot a deer with an arrow one night and it was a big controversy in the T&G. (1974 or so?) They found it the next day, still alive with an arrow sticking out of it. Seems to me that it marked the passing of a time when it was safe to leave animals unattended overnight in a place like that, before Worcester became much more crime-ridden. The carp! I forgot about that. Oh, yeah. Seems to me if you threw bread in that pond that a mass of orange scales the size of an atomic submarine would appear out of the murky waters and a mouth would envelope it. Then Splash- it was gone! "Fishing Derby". Yeah, wasn't that on "Opening Day " for fishing? April or so? Wouldn't it be in the T&G the next day, with some 10 year old boys photo holding up a big carp? I seem to recall kids fishing there with nylon rope for line. And I think they were doing it illegally- because it was only allowed on Opening Day? There was a handball court up there. Two sided- painted green? ------ Then there is the second part of my memories of it as a teenager when I went to Burncoat. Skipping school and going up there to hang out. Harmless in retrospect, but it seemed so naughty. I remember one fine Spring morning when half of Burncoat Sr. skipped school and went up there. Everyone was playing baseball. Don't recall too much of that day because the lovely Jill Edgington introduced me to German white wine that day. I do remember the cops came and dozens of kids ran off into the woods to hide until the coast was clear that day. I remember one very cold winter day when a few kids and I skipped school and went up there. Somehow we found our way INSIDE one of those neat old buildings you can see in the background of those postcards. Enjoying some of those herbal Jazz cigarettes which were popular in the late 70s. Ah yes. Seems so innocent now. We didn't want to harm a fly, but seemed so naughty at the time. Then of course there was the time the enigmatic Billy Ellerby convinced me check out the inside of the empty and abandoned water tower on the Southeast side of Green Hill. We pondered the mysteries of the Universe and listened to the echo of our voices inside the massive water tank. Pretty neat. That was a very long time ago, but to this day, when I see that water tower in the distance on Green Hill, (say from 290), I think of that day. (In retrospect, I think Billy was something of an Existentialist.) Yep, Green Hill was/is a very interesting place indeed. And this page brought some of it back that I had completely forgotten about. -Steve Fisk, December, 2005. http://www.burncoat.com

My mother was Lydia Green (I was born in 1927), My grandfather was Samuel Martin Green, one of the men who sold Green Hill to the city. My grandmother used to take me there in the 30's, before the "mansion" was torn down. It was full of objects sent back by from Ceylon the medical missionary Samuel Fisk Green. I think whatever was left of value of the Greens is now in the Worcester Museum. My daughter has all the family records that were given to me, going back to 1650 or so (my ancestors first farmed in Malden, Mass).

I grew up on Shattuck Street right next to Green Hill Park. We used to go to sliding on Green Hill in the winter. We also used to walk over the hills where the golf course is on the way to Carp Pond. The golf course had these golf ball washers where you could stick the golf ball on this piece of wood. You would plunge the piece of wood holding the golf ball down into the sudsy water thing to wash off the golf balls. Does anyone remember these things?? We used to wash rocks in them. We used to find golf balls for the golfers and they would give us quarters. Remember the pavillion where they would sell sno-cones in the summer? I remember the Barnyard Zoo and Astro City. I was there the day they dedicated Astro City. I was probably 10 years old. It was a huge deal and many Worcester politicians were there. I also remember they had skiing!! It was over the Grove Memorial (over by where the handball courts were) There was a "T-bar" tow rope. It was great! This was in the 1960's/early 70's. My parents still live on Shattuck Street and I still go up to the Vietnam Memorial where by my uncle Eddie's name is. (Father's brother...my father's family is from Worcester) In the summer they had games and crafts for the kids. We made 'gimp' bracelets. It was a blast!

I have a lot of great memories of Green Hill Park. Our yard bordered on the park and it was a great place to play as a kid. My father, being a teacher, worked at a recreation program in the early 60's and we'd go with him to work. Snaps was a big game then. I also played little league baseball at Green Hill.There was a beach at Green Hill until the mid to late 60's. It was right down from the golf course clubhouse. My grandmother would take us there as kids. When they reconfigured the golf course in the late 60's they did away with the beach.You can still see part of the sandy beach there. When I was about seven or eight, my brother and I used to steal golf balls from the golf course. The fourth fairway used to abut the woods. We'd run out and steal balls and bolt back into the woods. Women golfers were easy pickins'. We would get chased by a park cop, I believe his name was "Keel". He drove a three wheeled police Harley. The guy would drive right into the woods and fields with it. Years later I got a job on the golf course and Keel's Harley was still in the garage! It was a right of passage to drink beer in the green Hill woods, and my friends and I were no exception. This would have been the early 70's. Anyone in their 40's will remember the rock concerts they had at the pavilion, also in the 70's. Public drinking laws were less strict then they are now. I'm a teacher in Maryland now and haven't been to Green Hill Park in years, but I'll always have fond memories of it.

During WW2 I lived at the corner of Green Hill Pky and Paine Street. I attended Harlow Street Grammar School. One of my classmates lived in the Green Hill Mansion. His father was the caretaker. Sometimes, after school, we'd go to his house to play. We had the run of the mansion. There were large rooms filled with artifacts and furniture covered with sheets. In the winter, we'd ski on a wooded hill across the street from the mansion. We both belonged to Troop 28 of the Boy Scouts that met in the Baptist church on Lincoln Street. The troop would train for merit badges near the bath house on Green Hill Pond. Sometimes we'd go with his father to feed the buffaloes and deer. At the end of the war, the city put on a very large fire works display at the Holland Rink on Lincoln St. I can recall going to Union Station to see my father and then my brother go off to war. Air Raid Wardens patrolled the street at night looking for lights that might be showing from doors and windows that were supposed to be blacked out. My mother worked at a defense plant at the bottom of Harlow Street. On December 7th, 1941 I was playing cops and robbers with a friend near my house. His dad called us in and we sat, gathered around a radio, listening to news about the attack on Pearl Harbor. I had a Telegram and a Gazette paper route as well a Sunday Telegram route. Part of the money I made was used to go to the Plymouth theater on Main Street to watch war movies. We'd walk both ways. We'd also go to the Boys Club at Lincoln Square and watch free Tom Mix and Zorro movies. Near Brocklemans at Lincoln Square, my mother would take me to a horse meat store. For a big treat, my mother, sister and I would take the trolley to White City for the day. Back to Green Hill. It was a great place to go "parking" during high school days. Oh yes, to be young again.

Winslow Maxwell-it would be great if your daughter were to share copies of the family records as many locals are extremely interested. G. Daland Webb- I have a book called the Worcester of 1889 which contains a biography and a nice photographic portrait of your great grandfather. Born in Barre 4-16-1854. Came to Worcester in 1873, started stone business on small scale. In 1879 he removed to Millstone Hill and opened a quarry. Found it too small for his energy and aspirations and went into same business in Fitzwilliam NH in 1882. 1891 incorporated the Webb Granite and Construction Company with HQ in Worcester. (skipped some stuff here) His company built the Union Church on Chestnut Street, The Holy Cross College extension, the new city fire department building on Bigelow Court, Curtis and Marbles' new machine shop, Rice, Bartin, and Fales new factory. political party-independent tells about 1875 marriage, wife's name and place of birth, number of children. If you have any local history re your great-grandfather that would be great. Also, the Worcester Public Head Librarian would most likely respond to a request about information. The library houses a great collection of Worcester history. (share with us if you follow through)

I grew up in the shadow of Green Hill Park, on Windsor St. I atteneded Harlow St School as well, in the 80's. I have the fondest memories of the petting zoo and the playground up there. I went back last summer, and it brought back many memories.

I grew up on Orne St. attending Harlow St. school. My friends and I played ball at the "bend" and purused the park as the gem it was. I have a femur bone of the last buffalo that was darted after calving a baby in the pen across from the petting zoo. It was aquired by my younger brother, David while walking our dog. The people in charge autopsied the animal on site and, gave the meaty bone to my bro much to our Mom's chagrin. Many memories... the beach, small pond, big pond, golf, carp, little league, crayfish,horn pout, sunfish, snackbar, SNAPS! Skating, sliding on the big hill, concerts, fireworks. Swan boats. picknick under the small and large pagodas. Great stuff.

corner of glover rd. big white house 1963 i recall the carp and the bison stood alone i think just right of a bandstand be patient i was onley five years old d.o.b. spring of 58 ivaguely recall other animals fenced in and further down major carpfive years later i lerned to ski with an actuall rope tow gas operated and was a danger in itself one had to decide if it was faster to go down the hill or faster to go up i seen a lot of injuries onthat hill including my mothers broken wrist there was no paramedic team you fend for ones own i learned to ski competativly realy fast my equipment was purchasedin an a frame ski store called ralph whites when you enterthe shop there are swiss bells on the door that jingle years later i went pro but my memories of ralph whites remain the priority isnt it always the case in our experiance ya just gotta love what we have done the places we have beenand all we have seen d. monahan w. millbury

I've been wanting to see pictures of the Rocket Slide. I came accross this info about the Astro City made by the Miracle Equipment Company of Grinnell, Iowa http://www.tallgeorge.com:80/rocket_slide.php

Growing up in the Green Hill Park area during the 60s and 70s was awesome. Waking up early in the morning and going carp fishing. Spend the afternoon at Astro City, buying lunch at the big Pavilion snack bar. Hanging out at the Barnyard Zoo. Hunting for golf balls on the edges of the golf coarse. Best of all was the fireworks at Holland Rink. You always had to look out for the patients from the State Hospital who wandered too far away. Concerts by local rock bands. Those were the days....

great comments from all lots of memories of growing up near the park

Anyone have photos of the old "Rocket Slide". Brought my kids today and tried to explain what it looked like. Also, the Storybook land metal play sets (Cinderella's Pumpkin, large spider, etc.)

Do I remember Green Hill Rocket Land, fishing for carp, running through the buffalo pen oh ya Finding golf balls and selling them back to them on the 18th hole. I once had my picture taken trying to drink from a broken water bubbler by the WTAG I wish I could find that article My days in little league (Common Wealth Gas) We would walk through the woods to get to the ball field, wouldn’t let my kids do that today>>> Great memories

Yes I have memories of Greenhill Park,learning how to ski,trying to learn, in 1964. A matter of fact my Uncle Red ran the parks department, many years ago. Dayton,Ohio

Does anyone remember the buffalos? I was so enamored with them. The rocket slide took the place of them. I remember the mom sat on her baby and killed it (or at least that was the rumor). Green Hill was a big part of my childhood. My dad, Mike, would bring us up there for picnics, etc. all the time. He was the Treasurer of the Green Hill Beautification Committee and played golf there all the time. It was a part of my run in the morning before my teaching job. I remember getting "flashed" by some kook and the police driving with me on my runs after that (6:30 am)! Many more memories there but don't want to bore anyone any further. I miss my Worcester family days!

Wow - Like many others that lived on Green and Bell Hills, the Park served as my summer refuge to be explored and enjoyed. There was nothing like it... acres of land to roam. Remember when you used to say 'bye' to your Mom after breakfast, and as you were running out of the house the response was ' be back for dinner'? - No communicaion in between, just go play for the whole day.... in the Park. How about throwing rocks at the rats in the dump before it was closed and capped? Remember the fire truck that was in there? How about collecting tadpoles in the small, rain filled pond at the bend of Skyline Drive near the Golf Course? Or catching snakes at the base of the Buffalo pen? ... or even bringing home a Buffalo leg on my shoulder, walking through the picnic grove below Astro City? We didn't realize it then, but that Park provided some of the best times of our young lives. Learning to play Mancala, making gymp ropes and bracelets, playing baseball, skiing and sledding and skating.... CLIMBING THE PINE TREES AT THE ENTRANCE AND FEELING THE WIND THAT ALWAYS BLEW THROUGH THERE! Great memories for us, and something that all of Worcester should experience. Green Hill holds nothing but great memories for me.

i remember when i was a kid going to the zoo and going to the play ground.

Green Hill Park was our back yard playground in the 60's and 70's.

I was called Ina Sharin in the years when I used to go up the hill to Green Hill Park to play with friends after a day at Harlow Street School in the late '40's and early '50's. We passed a big Catholic Church at the corner of Lincoln Street and took a side street to the park. No organized games, but all sorts of characters like pirates and explorers. One year, the lake was closed to swimmers because of a polio scare. My family lived on the top floor of a "three story" closer to Lincoln Square (which had become a freeway overpass when I last visited in the early '80's.) This website has brought back lots of memories for someone born and raised in Worcester who's now a Californian.

wonderful memories of learning to ski here, feeding the carp & the old playground...this place is a hidden jewel in the city of worcester the vietnam memorial is beautiful and moving... a memorial day visit brought me to tears

I REMEMBER WHEN THE MOTHER LAY ON HER BABY "BUFFALO" AND KILED IT AND ALSO THE DEER WITH THE ARROW,,,,,,WAY BACK WHEN

My great grandfather Andrew Haswell Green owned the park until he sold it in 1905 to the city of worcester. I am told that a treasure of gold bars are burried by the old mansion. I tried to locate the site but could never find it, I hope that someone finds the gold in the future and if found donates it to the city of worcester to maintain the park and build a memorial for my grandfather.

i remember seing minnehaha the buffalo dead after giving birth, so sad to see them both dead.grew up on orne st with the ferries,burns and jimmy d,don carlson,and the gouyettes.

Steve Fisk I remember the dirt bag who shot the deer it was a guy named Shane F fromm hooper street his sister acually turned him in.

I was just there today with the kiddos. The petting zoo is small but wonderful. We did a quick 2 mile hike and found a geocache, then we went back to the field in front of the zoo. The kids played and I landed a monster bass in the lake on a rubber worm. A good 4.5 to 5 pounder.

There is quite a discussion going on about the Green Hill mansion in the Facebook group Lincoln Street People. There is a claim the mansion was built by Bethsheba Spooners husband Joshua. She being the first woman in America to be hanged by the Americans on June 4th 1778 while 5 months pregnant with her lover's child, for the murder of her wealthy but abusive husband.The Spooners were a wealthy family with a home in West Brookfield but allegedly had a second home aka Green Hill Manson where Mr Spooner was murdered and thrown down a well.Does anyone know if there is any truth to this association or is it balderdash? I can't imagine growing up next to Green Hill Park and not being aware of this history, so I question it's authenticity. I wonder about those gold bars too; had we children known about them we surely would have dug up the entire hill during our treasure hunt searches! When I was a schoolgirl @ Veterans Academy there was nary a lesson on the history of Worcester. Hopefully Worcester's history from the Nimmuc tribe & it's founding in 1775, through the early 1900s is included in the Worcester grammer school curriculum now as it is rewarding to know the place of your formative years.

Sadly the Carp that were once in Green Hill Pond are gone now, caught and taken by a certain segment of the population. Sad, we used to catch them all the time but we NEVER took them.

I have very vivid memories of Green Hill Park I have a phoo of my mother and me under the "picnic tree" at the pavilion. The deer, the buffalos and the swan boats you could ride on on the pond. Every 4th of July we would watch the fireworks from my Grandparents house on Beverly Rd behind at the time State Mutual Life Insurance Co

Shane, It was not Bathsheba's husband that owned it. It was her sisters husband Dr. John Green. After Bathsheba was hung her body was reportedly buried on the property.

My Aunt lived on Shaffner Steet so whenever we visited her she would take my brother and I up to Green Hill during the 50s. The carp were huge and if I remember right the Green's mansion was still there. I also remember walking up to the quarry that was there as a kid. Years later I hiked up to see the quarry with my dog and was surprised only to find that it had all been filled in. I also remember seeing a stolen white 1967 Ford Fairlane in the trees near the pond. Looked like the were trying to roll it down into the water but the brush had stopped before reaching the water.

does anyone know the date of the last trolley to the park? my sister said she was on it.

Oh the memories I had of that park, in the winter dad and I would go sledding, in the summer it was feeding the fish. I miss that park now that I live in California.

Lived at 28 Paine st in the late 40's +early 50's. Harlow st school till the 5th grade. I remember Bobby McCally gathering all us little kids up and gong to Green Hill Park and swimming in the pond with the carp-the two left buffalo? and playing at the quarry which I remember was a dump of some sort. Many good memories. and many good friends.

What an awesome place to grow up. We lived on Uxbridge St, adjacent to the park. Astro city, the park lady, skating on the ponds, pollywogs in the small pond, concerts at the Pavillion, the ice cream truck; the buffalo; the zoo; the old fire truck in the woods. Such great memories. Recently, I saw 9 deer up at the golf course..what a treat. Still visit the zoo very often.

Just randomly happened on this page online today (was originally reading about the 14 year-old boy and rescuing officer who both recently drowned in the pond here). Just have to say that all of your memories are just wonderful! Thanks for everyone who has taken the time to share. I’ve lived mostly in Maryland. Now living in NC with my mom, after my father’s death in June 2020. I’ve always loved thinking of New England and often visited Brattleboro, VT when I was growing up. Worcester sounds like a wonderful place! Glad to hear that for just about all of you, it was a downright magical place to grow up. I get the impression that almost all of you come from really great families and loving parents. Thanks again for sharing these wonderful memories of your great town! 👍

As a boy growing up in Worcester in the 50s me and my dad spent a lot of time at Green hill park