Press Release  Healey-Driscoll Administration Honors Veterans and Their Families with Dedication of Veterans Memorial Park and Gold Star Families Bridge in Lynn

Lynn — The Healey-Driscoll Administration today celebrated the rededication of Lynn Heritage State Park as Veterans Memorial Park and the installation of a new marker at the property’s Massachusetts Gold Star Families Memorial Bridge. In honor of Veterans Day on Tuesday, November 11, the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) will once again waive parking fees for all visitors to state parks. The agency has also expanded the designated parking spaces it offers for veterans to 16 DCR properties across the state.  

“For hundreds of years, Massachusetts heroes have sacrificed so that their communities would be safe and prosperous. In every town and city I travel to, I meet people of all ages who have answered this call,” said Governor Maura Healey. “We’re proud to dedicate this Veterans Memorial Park and Massachusetts Gold Star Families Memorial Bridge to honor the service and sacrifice of our veterans and their families.”  

“Growing up in a military family, you become very aware of the realities of public service. For some it is a long, rewarding career. For others, it is a tragically short experience,” said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. “I hope this space and the meaning behind it provide some form of comfort to those whose lives have been touched by conflict and sacrifice, and that we all remember their stories.”  

The Massachusetts Gold Star Family Memorial Bridge is a pedestrian footbridge spanning Route 1A that was designated in 2020 by the Massachusetts Legislature as the state’s official bridge honoring Gold Star Families—one of the first of its kind in the nation. There have been 33,000 Gold Star Families in Massachusetts since World War II, with approximately 500 from Lynn. The renaming of Lynn Heritage State Park to Veterans Memorial Park was made possible by legislation passed in 2024.

 “Gold Star Families remind us of what service and sacrifice truly mean. Thanks to them, places like Veterans Memorial Park stand for more than just beauty – they stand for courage and community,” said Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rebecca Tepper. “With the dedication of this bridge and the renaming of this park, we honor that spirit and keep their stories alive for generations to come.”

“Across Massachusetts, we continue to honor the service of our veterans and the strength of their families,” said Veterans Services Secretary Jon Santiago. “The Gold Star Families Memorial Bridge and Veterans Memorial Park stand as living tributes to courage, sacrifice, and community. As we mark Veterans Day, may these spaces inspire each of us to serve with the same dedication and compassion that our veterans and their families show every day.”

In the next few years, DCR will make additional improvements to the park, including a $15 million effort to rebuild the boardwalk, reinforce seawalls, and add other features that will make the area more resilient to extreme weather and create a destination waterfront for the community.  

“The Massachusetts Gold Star Families Memorial Bridge and Veterans Memorial Park are part of a network of DCR properties that honor the courage of those who have served –and the families who carry their memory forward,” said DCR Commissioner Nicole LaChapelle. “DCR is proud to steward these important symbols of remembrance and bravery. As part of that commitment, we’re expanding designated veterans’ parking at properties across the state and we’re waiving parking fees for everyone on Veterans Day so more people can visit, reflect and experience these special places.”

In addition to today’s event, DCR will once again waive parking fees for visitors at all state parks, consistent with a National Park Service initiative that provides free admission to federal parks, nationwide, on Veterans Day. Vehicles with disabled veterans license plates from all states receive free parking year-round at all DCR parks. DCR has also expanded its program, installing designated veterans parking spaces at parks across Massachusetts. To find a location with designated veterans parking, visit the DCR website.  

Massachusetts has a rich military history, reflected across the state park system through many veterans’ memorials, military forts, and other historically important sites. These sites include Fort Independence at Castle Island in the City of Boston, which protected the city's harbor; Fort Phoenix in the Town of Fairhaven, utilized during the American Revolution; and the Massachusetts Veterans War Memorial Tower at the summit of Mount Greylock in the Town of Adams, one of only 100 World War I Centennial Memorials in the nation. Additionally, DCR has hundreds of roadways, trails, markers, pools, skating rinks, and parks named after Massachusetts veterans or military campaigns. While at DCR parks, visitors can explore interpretive programming, self-guided walks, and hikes that showcase this important history.

“The decision to locate this Commonwealth wide tribute here in Lynn is an extraordinary honor,” said Lynn Mayor Jared Nicholson. “It recognizes that our city, historically a place of service and resilience, is uniquely suited to be the keeper of this memory.”

“The dedication of the Massachusetts Gold Star Families Bridge is a profound and permanent statement by the Commonwealth,” said Executive Director & Army Wife of the Military Friends Foundation Sarah Sweeney. “It ensures that the ultimate sacrifice made by our fallen heroes, and the unending devotion of their families, will never fade into history. Military Friends Foundation is proud to partner with the state to raise recognition of the true cost of freedom.”  

“This bridge is intended to be a source of strength, mirroring the strength we, as families, must find every morning,” said President of the Department of MA/RI American Gold Star Mothers Robin Abbott. “It is a place of remembrance where families can gather, share stories, sit and have lunch with our heroes, and feel the powerful bond that unites us. It is a physical embodiment of the phrase ‘We will never forget.” 

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