Stretching across Portland's farthest eastern peninsula, the Eastern Promenade is a historic 68.2-acre (27.6 ha) public park and recreation area. Construction began here in 1836 and continued periodically until 1934, and the park you see was shaped in part by the Olmsted Brothers; it experienced its greatest expansion from the 1880s to the 1910s and was regenerated by Charles R. Goodell in 1878. The Promenade rings around the Munjoy Hill neighborhood as a 1.5-mile sweep of lawn, paths and waterfront.
Today the place still lives as recreation: a paved trail 2.1 miles (3.4 km) long draws walkers and bicyclists, and you can spot the sandy East End Beach and a clutch of baseball fields, basketball courts and tennis courts. History tucks into the landscape too — a mass grave and the mast of USS Portland are among the quieter reminders here. A short stroll brings you to Fort Allen Park, a 9.33-acre (3.78 ha) parcel on the Promenade that preserves the site of Fort Allen, active in the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812; only a few earthworks remain.
Notice the shoreline, the trail, the mast and the historic earthworks, all within your view.