The Case Estates has long been the site of many public and private gatherings in Weston history, from scientific lectures to the Hillcrest Boys, to horticultural exhibitions, to town-wide celebrations and private weddings. It is the people who visit the Case Estates that bring its nature and history to life. Were our town not to have such a place—this "heart of Weston"—we would surely miss it. Choosing as a community to protect this unique property allows us to honor all those who have breathed life into this land before us, as well as to protect the many species that depend on it for their survival. It ties us to our rural past and represents an investment in our future. All it takes is your support.
More than just 62 acres of meadows, pine woods, wetlands, orchards, and gardens, the Case Estates is a great educational, recreational, historical, horticultural, and natural resource, important to Weston
and the region. For more than a decade the future of the Case Estates has been uncertain. Now we have the opportunity to control what happens to this special place.
The Case Estates is located in the geographical heart of Weston, at the junction of four well-traveled roads—Wellesley, School, Newton, and Ash Streets. It is adjacent to the “Case Campus,” which includes the Weston Public Library, Case House (school administration building), Weston Community Center, and three elementary schools. To the east are the open, cultivated fields of Land’s Sake farm, and to the south, the popular Weston Reservoir loop trail. To the west, a network of trails connects to other open space, most notably the Highland Town Forest and Linwood Cemetery.
At this nexus of education, recreation, and history, it is no wonder that the Case Estates is considered by many to be the spiritual heart of our community.
The Case Estates has been singled out as the town’s number one priority in all land planning studies beginning with the 1996 Open Space and Recreation Plan. In 2000, the primary recommendation of the Committee to Advise the Selectmen on Land Acquisition (CALA) was to secure the future of the Case Estates. In 2002, after Weston passed the Community Preservation Act, the new Community Preservation Committee studied town needs and again put the Case Estates at the top of the list for acquisition.
All three studies looked at existing conservation land and remaining undeveloped parcels and concluded that we need to be highly selective in acquiring additional acreage. Desirable characteristics included prominent location, scenic views, trail connections, wildlife habitats, relationship to historic buildings, and contribution to rural character. The Case Estates has all these attributes.
The latest town study, the report of the town-appointed Case Estates Review Committee (CERC) that specifically addresses the issue of the Case Estates, was submitted to the Selectmen on May 25, 200
6, and is now under consideration. Established in June of 2005, CERC was charged with advising the Board of Selectmen regarding the potential acquisition, future use and funding for some or all of the Case Estates property for municipal purposes, open space, historic preservation, and/or affordable housing uses. The primary recommendation of the committee was that "the Town of Weston obtain ownership of the Case Estates property in the fall of 2006."
The CERC then described an area of the property, The Historic Hillcrest Corridor, which was considered the most important part of the property to be preserved as open space with Community Preservation Funds. In the event the funds were insufficient to pay for the entire property or the entire Historic Corridor, the committee recommended that the extra acreage be characterized as "lands subject to change" and that they be added to the other five areas designated in this manner as well as the three buildings on the property.
The full CERC report is available on-line, at town hall or in the Weston Library.
The Case Estates has a long history as a regional horticultural center. We are approaching the centennial anniv
ersary of Hillcrest Farm which Marian Case created in 1909 as a model farm where she could promote local agriculture. Miss Case purchased three adjacent farms and preserved the historic farmhouses and pastoral landscape. She employed local boys and instilled in them a love of nature and the land. In 1920, she changed the name of her unusual enterprise to Hillcrest Gardens, reflecting an increased interest in horticulture and gardening. Marian Case willed Hillcrest to the Arnold Arboretum, and her sister Louisa also chose the Arboretum to inherit the adjacent estate developed by their parents. The Arboretum continued its stewardship of the land, using it for educational programs, display gardens, and as a holding nursery.
Even after the 1980s when the Arnold Arboretum decided to leave the Case Estates, sell off land and some structures (5 houses and 4 barns) and centralize its activities in its Jamaica Plain location, the Weston property was maintained and was open to the public. Town residents and other visitors have always been able to enjoy public access to the property for such activities as passive recreation, walking, cross country skiing or picnics. Nature enthusiasts are able to study the trees, the plant collections as well as the Display Garden which has been maintained by the Arboretum.
All three elementary schools use the Case Estates for a variety of science and social studies activities. Indeed, Cheryl Maloney, the Superintendent of Curriculum for the Weston Public Schools, notes:
“We value our local resources and recognize the importance of education in a natural setting. To this end, we integrate the natural world as much as possible with the elementary curriculum."
The Case Estates is within walking distance of the Brook School Apartments, the Weston Library, the Town Pool, the Community Center (including the Council on Aging), the Scout House and Land's Sake farm.
Weston shares an interest in protecting important landscapes with the neighboring towns of Concord, Wayland, Lincoln, and Wellesley. As development pressures increase in the western suburbs of Boston, properties such as the Case Estates become increasingly rare and important to our town – and indeed to the wider geographic region. The variety of landscapes and extensive network of trails will become a unique recreational asset that will enhance the attractiveness of Weston as a place for families to live.
Protecting the Case Estates means protecting our future. With Massachusetts consuming undeveloped land at the rate of about 23 square miles per year for new building projects, maintaining our Town’s existing open space is a step towards a better 
tomorrow. Losing this connection to our past also means losing a public space for passive recreation, nature study, and education. If developed, this open space, part of a regional network of "green" spaces created by our neighbors, will be gone forever.
Soon to celebrate its 100th birthday since Miss Case began her agricultural experiments, the Case land deserves your support. In the last 50 years, the Arboretum has taken good care of its horticultural resources, and now Weston has an opportunity to preserve this unique place for public use. Now it’s time to take action to gain control of the Case Estates and to control its destiny.
Get involved. Volunteer with the Case Coalition.
Get to know the Case Estates.
Give support. Contact the Case Fund and donate today.
