Every Lake
Jamaica Pond
Six-tenths of a square mile inside Boston, ringed by a 1.5-mile paved path since the 1890s
- 7 ft · first step
- 14 ft
- 22 ft
- 29 ft
- 36 ft
- 43 ft · bottom
About Jamaica Pond
Jamaica Pond sits in Boston's Jamaica Plain neighborhood, formed by receding glaciers roughly 15,000 years ago and left as a kettle hole fed by underground springs. Colonial-era residents cut ice from it commercially in the 1800s, shipping blocks as far as the Caribbean. Frederick Law Olmsted incorporated the pond into his Emerald Necklace park system in the 1890s, grading the shoreline and laying the path that still circles it today.
The pond sits within city limits, bordered by Jamaicaway and the Pond Side neighborhood, drawing joggers, rowers from the boathouse, and anglers after stocked trout. Its depth is modest but steady, having no major inlet or outlet beyond the springs that feed it, which keeps the water level fairly constant year-round. Sailing and small-boat instruction have run out of the boathouse for decades, and the surrounding park remains one of Boston's most used green spaces.
- 22 roads engraved around the shore, 6 of them labeled
- 6 depth layers, each step engraved with its depth in feet
- Compass rose, title block with coordinates, max depth and area; keyhole hanger on the back
Turn it in your hands
Live 3D of the actual cut files — drag to orbit, pinch to zoom. Every road you see is engraved on the real thing.
Viewer not showing? Open it full screen.
Jamaica Pond depth chart, in wood
This is a Jamaica Pond depth chart you can hang: 6 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour — 7 ft, 14 ft, 22 ft, 29 ft, 36 ft and deeper, down to the deepest hole at about 43 ft. The lake covers about 0.1 square miles, and 22 shore roads are engraved around it. The shape of the bottom is the real one from published soundings, so anglers recognise their drop-offs and points.
A Jamaica Pond map for the wall — or a gift
Most of these go to a cabin wall, a lake house entry, or a home office; a lot are gifts — the family that has been on Jamaica Pond for three generations, the retirement move, the first boat. The 12-inch is the desk-and-shelf size; the 24- and 30-inch boards read across a room. Add a line under the title and star your place on the shore, and it becomes the map of your Jamaica Pond.
Jamaica Pond map — the details
How big is the map?
Four sizes: 12, 17, 24 and 30 inches on the long side, from $149. Every size is cut from the same depth data of Jamaica Pond; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.
Is it made from real depth data?
Yes. Jamaica Pond is cut layer by layer from published bathymetric soundings — each layer of birch is a depth contour, so the shape of the bottom is the real one, not decorative.
Can I add my own place on it?
Yes. At checkout you can add a line under the title (a family name, a cabin name, a year) and star the spot on the shore that matters to you.
How long does it take?
Made to order in Waterford, Pennsylvania and shipped in 7–10 days; shipping is free in the lower 48.
Can you make a lake that isn't listed?
Any lake in the United States — we hold depth data for 104,419 of them. Search for yours; if it isn't built yet we build it when you order.
- 6 depth layers down to 43 ft
- 0.1 square miles of water
- 22 shore roads engraved, 6 named
- Title block, compass rose and depth markers
- Birch plywood, keyhole hanger, made in Waterford, PA
