Webb Memorial State Park

Webb Memorial State Park. . , This scenic 36-acre peninsula, extending nearly half a mile into Hingham Bay, was acquired by the Commonwealth in 1978. Operated as a Nike anti-aircraft missile launch facility from 1959 to 1974, it was one of a dozen such sites that ringed the Boston metropolitan area during the Cold War. , The Park today has nearly two miles of paths popular with walkers and joggers. It also offers striking views of Hingham Bay, the Harbor Islands and the Boston skyline., A Brief History , The two glacial hills and connecting lowland that form Weymouth Neck have been sculpted by natural and human forces for over 12,000 years. Originally called Wessagussett (Algonquian for "by the small saltwater cove"), it was occupied by Native Americans because of its wealth of finfish, shellfish and wild fruit. Artifacts from this period dating back nearly 4,000 years, have been found here and on nearby Grape Island in ancient waste heaps called middens. , In 1775, this area of Hingham Bay was the scene of a skirmish between a group of colonists and the crews of several British ships. The vessels, anchored off the Neck, were in the process of taking on hay from loyalist-owned Grape Island for their livestock in Boston when they were fired upon and driven off by militiamen on Weymouth Neck. The locals then landed on Grape and burned down the Tory's barn along with 80 tons of his harvested hay. This incident, the second armed confrontation of the American Revolution, is known as the Grape Island Alarm. , Use of the Neck by European settlers was primarily agricultural until the construction in 1872 of a large complex of buildings by the Bradley Fertilizer Company. This facility, which included a small community in which many workers lived, remained in operation for close to 50 years. , The Nike missile site that was built here in the late 1950s included ten concrete block buildings that were used to assemble and arm the missiles as well as to house and feed the men stationed here. An underground storage facility, excavated within one of the hills, was equipped with elevators that could transport as many as thirty missiles to the surface and fire them at incoming bombers. The missiles were modified in the mid-60s to carry nuclear warheads. Air vents from this facility are still visible. , After a major clean-up effort, the area was opened to the public in 1980 as Webb Memorial State Park., William K. Webb (1923-1976) , After serving in the armed forces during World War II, William K. Webb joined the Weymouth Police Department. He rose to the rank of Lieutenant in 1954 and Captain in 1966. As an elected official, he served as a Town Meeting member for ten years and a member of the Weymouth Housing Authority for four. The park was named in his honor in 1980, four years after his death.