Cushing Memorial State Park

8 Cushing Rd, Scituate, MA 02066, USA

Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation: (617) 626-1250

Owned By: Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation

• Directions

At Cushing Memorial State Park in Scituate, a short woodland trail leads to the burial site of US Supreme Court Chief Justice William Cushing. A second short trail leads down a hill to a bench overlooking the salt marsh. At 4.8 acres, this is a very small park!

Features

This land is within the region of the Massachusett (or Massachuseuk). To learn more about local Native American tribes, we encourage you to interact with their members. The Mattakeeset band of the Massachusett, and the Massachusett tribe at Ponkapoag, both share information on their websites. 

This is the resting place for Chief Justice William Cushing, who lived from 1732 to 1810. He served on the first United States Supreme Court from 1789-1810, and is regarded as Scituate’s Greatest Citizen.

Cushing graduated from Harvard College in 1751, and began to practice law in 1755. In 1760, he moved to Lincoln County, Massachusetts (Now Dresden, Maine), and served as a Probate Judge and Justice of the Peace. In 1772, he was appointed to the Superior Court of Massachusetts Bay Province. After the American Revolution, he became a Justice of the Massachusetts Superior Court, and in 1777 was elevated to Chief Justice, an office he served until 1789.

On September 24, 1789, President George Washington nominated Cushing as one of the original Associate Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States. Two days later, the Senate confirmed the appointment. Cushing served on the Supreme Court for twenty years until his death at the age of 78.

Cushing grew up at Belle House Neck, on today’s Neal Gate Street. His family held slaves, as did he and his wife. However one of his many achievements was presiding over the state Supreme Court case that deemed slavery unconstitutional in Massachusetts. Click here to learn more about this and other stories on the North River Early Black Heritage Trail.

Trail Description

To the right of the property sign, a short wooded trail (less than 0.1 mile) leads to, and around two sides of, the burial site of Chief Justice Cushing. To the left of the property sign, an additional short trail (0.15 mile) leads down a forested hillside to a bench overlooking the salt marsh.

Habitats and Wildlife

This property is set on a forested hilltop. In the woods surrounding the ceremony, you’ll find pine, oak, maple, beech, cherry, holly, and sassafras trees, along with ferns, sweet pepper bush, and wild blueberry. Many species of small mammals such as rabbits, raccoons, and opossums call this woodland home. It is part of the North River watershed.

The North River rises from marshes and springs in Weymouth, Rockland and Hanson. It is approximately 10 miles in length, with its source at the confluence of the Indian Head River (Hanover) and Herring Brook (Pembroke). From there it flows through the towns of Hanover, Pembroke, Marshfield, Norwell, and Scituate to the Atlantic Ocean between Third and Fourth Cliffs, draining approximately 59,000 acres along the way.