About the Mary Ellen Welch Greenway
The Mary Ellen Welch Greenway is a recreational open space in East Boston that runs from the historic Jeffries Point Waterfront through the neighborhood towards Constitution Beach and beyond. Residents of all ages use it for running, jogging, walking, biking, or just strolling while taking in the historic and ecological beauty of various points along its length. The Greenway is separately owned and maintained by the City of Boston, Massport and DCR. The Friends of the Mary Ellen Welch Greenway (FoMEWG) is an organization of residents who are the official stewards and advocates for the property.
Mission Statement
To care and advocate for the use, condition, enhancement, and extension of the Mary Ellen Welch Greenway in collaboration with the community, Boston Parks and Recreation Department, Massachusetts Port Authority, Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, and other aligned partners.
Vision
We envision the Mary Ellen Welch Greenway to be a beautiful, inclusive, safe, and dynamic park providing:
- Enjoyment through recreation, active transportation, and appreciation of nature;
- Equal access to all, with a focus on serving the diverse community of East Boston;
- High quality open space and access to Boston Harbor and coastal environments;
- Resiliency to climate change and coastal flooding through green infrastructure;
- Connections within East Boston and to neighboring communities to create a regional greenway network; and
- Education of residents and visitors about the legacy of Mary Ellen Welch and her commitment, to the vision for the Greenway through her dedication to advocacy and consensus in the community.
History of the Greenway Space
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Who is Mary Ellen Welch (1941 – 2019)
Mary Ellen Welch was a prominent community activist in East Boston and former teacher at Hugh R. O’Donnell Elementary School in East Boston. She advocated for the community of East Boston on many fronts including waterfront development, affordable housing, public schools, and the expansion of Logan International Airport.
She helped found and also led groups including Airport Impact Relief, the Neighborhood of Affordable Housing (NOAH), the East Boston Greenway Council, and the Jeffries Point Neighborhood Association. In 2000, she was honored for her contributions through the receipt of the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s Environmental Merit Award.
As one of the founding members of the East Boston Greenway Council, Welch worked for decades to take a neglected stretch of the old Narrow Gauge Railroad and transform it into a system of lush landscaped parks so residents could enjoy a stroll from Jeffries Point to Orient Heights.
Welch, who has long fought Logan Airport expansion which took away scenic land, spent the last three decades pressuring Massport for more mitigation for the community having to play host to Logan and all the negative impacts that came with it. She said the new Greenway Connector and the scenic vista at the Wood Island Bay Marsh revives memories of Wood Island Park. The idea of creating a buffer was born in response to then Gov. Ed King’s vision to turn Jeffries Point into an industrial adjunct to the airport and create a “Berlin Wall” that would cut Eastie in half.
During the ribbon cutting ceremony of the Greenway Connector, Welch said “Those memories were the inspiration for East Boston residents to work so long and so hard to create this linear park system. More than 20 years ago a group of activists proposed a buffer between the airport and community at a time when Massport was less friendly to its neighbors in East Boston. They plotted and planned to create a greenway park system.”
Learn More About the Renaming of the East Boston Greenway to the Mary Ellen Welch Greenway
Mary Ellen Welch Greenway Renaming Dedication Ceremony
Mary Ellen Welch History Courtesy Of:
East Boston Times
https://eastietimes.com
Northeastern University Library
https://library.northeastern.edu
When we lost Mary Ellen on March 7, 2019, we lost a dear friend and neighbor, a community leader, a wise advisor and passionate advocate for social and environmental justice, a devoted daughter of East Boston and a proud Bostonian. A school teacher for decades in East Boston, Mary Ellen was a born teacher, helping us all to learn, to advocate and to demonstrate for a more just world for everyone. How generous she was with her encouragement, how gentle she was with her correction! We all learned from her, and those lessons are now part of us.
Mary Ellen was one of a small group of East Boston residents who believed the trash filled, abandoned freight tracks could become a welcoming, safe Greenway that would remove years of contamination in the midst of the neighborhood. The Greenway would become a beautiful green space for children to ride their bikes, seniors to stroll, and residents to make connections through and across the neighborhood. She was sure East Boston would rally to the Greenway. “Oh, yes, they will love it!” she replied about the farfetched idea in 1990. And she was so right.
Now, we invite you to join us to in continuing to enhance the Greenway along the path that Mary Ellen led. We also wish to create a special location along the Greenway by way of honoring Mary Ellen’s vision, her compassion and her faith that East Boston deserved this new parkland connecting East Boston’s harbor, beaches, parks and marshes. Please help us honor Mary Ellen by helping us continue her work and to create a beautiful special site for all to enjoy and remember. We appreciate gifts of all sizes.