Cookson Field is a large open-space and recreation area located within the College Hill residential neighborhood in south-central Worcester, near Holy Cross College and the Auburn border. The park site was purchased by the City of Worcester on June 3, 1936 from real estate developer Herbert E. Howe, and named for Mayor Walter Cookson, who died in office on June 11, 1936 in Cleveland, Ohio.
No true comprehensive design has ever been completed for the park. In 1936, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) performed a site clean-up to improve the landscape and use of the park. Thereafter, on-site amenities were added only as funding became available. Since its purchase, park features have included a Little League field with backstop, formalized woodland paths, wooden benches, picnic areas with fireplaces, a swing set and sand box.
The park had been neglected for many years, causing most of the park amenities to be in poor condition. However, in 2013, a group of volunteers pulled together to help clean up the park, put up new signs, and the College of the Holy Cross even donated a new playground to the park.
If you want to escape the bustle of the city, you can walk the trails at Cookson Field and enjoy the peaceful nature that surrounds you!
View some of the other parks in this district. Get out and explore!
Oread Castle Park is a 3-acre park located in the Main South neighborhood. Before this was a City park, it was Oread Collegiate Institute, also known as "The Castle". It recently had a massive renovation and features basketball courts, futsal court overlay, playground, picnic tables and nature trails.
Located just south and east of Newton Hill, Winslow & Pleasant (Peace) Park is another of Worcester's newer parks, opened in 2008. At a little over half an acre, this is a simple and quaint park, featuring picnic tables, community garden plots and ample seating to just relax and enjoy the outdoors!
University Park is located in both a residential neighborhood and directly adjacent to a college campus. In the middle of the park is Crystal Pond, formerly used for swimming and ice skating. Today, activities on the Pond are limited to occasional paddle boating or toy boat races.
