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Hidden Gem: Jamaica Plain's Nira Rock
Discover a hidden gem in Jamaica Plain that you may have never known existed. Or maybe you have not visited this interesting spot in years. So take a little trip with Patch...we’ll show you the way.
Rock climbing, watching outdoor movies and enjoying a little-known orchard meadow are among the hidden joys of Nira Rock. The urban wild, snuggled behind the Hennigan School, has seen a rebirth in recent years. According to the Friends of Nira Rock Web site, 300 million years ago (when Jamaica Plain was on the Earth's equator and connected to what is now Western Africa) conditions were ripe for a very particular brand of stone. When early Americans settled Jamaica Plain they noted it looked like a fruit-infused Christmas pudding popular in England, and as a result dubbed it puddingstone. The area it was found in was named in its honor. "Rocksberry" later became what is now known as Roxbury. In 1933, as the country climbed out of The Great …
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Jack Weiland
10:20 am on Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Despite having lived mere blocks from there I'd never heard of it either until I worked on this story. Definitely a very cool place. The history of the rock itself is almost impossible to comprehend. 300 million years. I mean, ya know. Wow. more ›