Lily Corner/Hemerocallis Corner
HISTORY OF THE LILY CORNER
Looking back at the birth of the Lily Corner at the intersection of Canton Avenue and Brook Road, one could say that the first seeds were planted in 1961 with the establishment of the Conservation Commission. This commission was made up of seven Milton citizens appointed by the selectmen. They were tasked with acquiring and preserving open space and assisting in the development of recreational areas for the people of Milton.
Martha Curtis joined this commission in 1970. Around that same time, she began writing a column, first in the Milton Record Transcript and later in the Milton Times. Aptly named Conservationally Speaking, she used this space not only to document the Conservation Commission’s activities but also to share her personal observations of the natural world in Milton—be it flora or fauna.
Martha Curtis was a well-known figure in Milton. Long before environmentalism became fashionable, she dedicated her life to preserving and protecting Milton’s undeveloped land—whether wetlands or prominent street corners. In addition to serving on the Conservation Commission, she was also an Assistant Conservation Commissioner for several years. Her newspaper column ran in two different papers for a total of 40 years. She was the first recipient of the Department of Public Works award for contributions to recycling and conservation. Martha was also a town meeting member and served on the Friends of the Blue Hills (FBH) and the Neponset River Watershed Association (NepRWA).
In 1971, the Conservation Commission’s annual report recorded that its members “held discussions with a number of landowners about possible acquisition of their land by the town.” These discussions focused on prominent corner lots and became known as the “Corner Lots Project.” Personal interviews with Milton citizens from that time recall Martha Curtis as the driving force behind the acquisition and beautification of these corner lots.
In 1972, Thomas Legate Fisher II, a descendant of the Vose family, sought to sell a large parcel of his land at the intersection of Canton Avenue and Brook Road. As part of the transaction, he expressed his willingness to donate a 0.3-acre adjacent piece of land—forming the point of the intersection—to the town. The land was acquired under Article 31 of the 1972 Town Meeting.
Having achieved this first goal, Martha Curtis then set out to beautify the space. The Board of Selectmen approved her plan in May of 1972, and she began what we at the Milton Garden Club hope to continue today. She referred to the space as “Hemerocallis Corner” and chronicled its progress in her columns. For several years, she acquired lily plants—mostly from the New England Daylily Society auction—and, with the help of eager town gardeners, planted them each fall. By September 24, 1977, Martha Curtis had acquired over 100 daylily fans. Along with the Milton Garden Club, the Conservation Commission, the Park Department, and private citizens of Milton, the lilies were planted.
In her September 29, 1977, column, she proudly listed some of these lilies’ names: Judge Orr, Buried Treasure, Song of Solomon, Red Mittens, Swamp Yankee, and Admiral Nelson. She ended that week’s column with a triumphant declaration: “We pulled it off!”
The garden continued to brighten the corner for many years. When Martha Curtis could no longer maintain it herself, the Milton Garden Club took over. Conversations with her friends reveal that the lily bed was once much larger than it is today. One friend remarked, “It (the lilies) took up the whole space!”
In later years, she was one of the founders of the Milton Farmers Market, where she sold her homemade dog biscuits.
Martha Curtis passed away on September 26, 2008—during lily planting season
