The History Of The Watsontown Community Park

Watsontown  Park

The "New City Park" at Watsontown, today known as the Watsontown Memorial Park, is located near the entrance of town if heading north from Milton.  

This newspaper article from the 1970s identifies the men in the post card above as:

William Field Shay, William C. Brimmer, Frank Fisher and Samuel Morgan.

This early sketch showing the Table Factory shows the area to the left where the park is today.

Today, Watson Mart stands where the Table Factory was once located.

The 1887 Sanborn Fire Map, showing the table works pictured above

and the Watsontown Novely Works and Watsontown Nail Works

The 1896 Sanborn Map shows the canal and the log pool just below the current day park.

They Wanted A Park To Park In Watsontown Back in 1906

The three gay blades and ten demure and proper maidens shown in this picture banded themselves together back in 1906 and called themselves the Watsontown Park Promoters.  They were the original promoters of the park project in Watsontown, and the picture was taken on the grounds they wished to have developed as a pleasant place for ball game and Sunday afternoon strolls.  These grounds are now known as the Watsontown Community Park.

Left to right in the front row are: Nellis Saxton Bly, Vera M. Baker, Anna Shook Wenner, Bruns Spole Wieden, and Mildred Brimmer Bennet.  

In the Second Row are Seymour Wolfe, or at least a small portion therefor at the extreme left of the picture; Ethel Shannon McWilliams, Alma Wolfe, Raymond Boughter, Helen Gold McDermott, Sarah Dietrick, Alette Brimmer Sterner and Fred Sprote.  (From a Bicentennial reprint of the 1915 History written of "Brick City", by Fred Knight)

A park commission was eventually organized to care for the park.  Trees and bushes were trimmed, to give a better view of the river, and a care taker was appointed to mow the grass and maintain the grounds.

August 1910  - Dr. J.R. Housel donated three benches to the Watsontown Park

The care-taker was also given authority, by the police, to arrest anyone destroying park property.  

August 1928

Before the stone arch bridge was built

The Warrior Run Church once stood at this location, before being rebuilt where the Historical Warrior Run Church stands today.  A stone marker at the park commemorates that first church.

The Stone Memorial commemorating the Warrior Run Church was erected in 1950

1950's Photo Of The Borough Crew At The Park

Photo By Skip Wesley

.  Left to right: James Criswell, Deacon Barr , Cy Lynch , Jay Gregg, James Ellis , Richard Cotner , Charles Golder , Don Stahlnecker 

I will come back later with a more detailed history of the park.  My goal today is simply to put some of the photos and information online quickly.

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Find More Stories & History Of Watsontown Here:

https://susquehannavalley.blogspot.com/2020/04/watsontown-pa.html

And more local history, from surrounding areas, here:

https://susquehannavalley.blogspot.com/p/history.html

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They Wanted A Park To Park In Watsontown Back in 1906

The three gay blades and ten demure and proper maidens shown in this picture banded themselves together back in 1906 and called themselves the Watsontown Park Promoters.  They were the original promoters of the park project in Watsontown, and the picture was taken on the grounds they wished to have developed as a pleasant place for ball game and Sunday afternoon strolls.  These grounds are now known as the Watsontown Community Park.

Left to right in the front row are: Nellis Saxton Bly, Vera M. Baker, Anna Shook Wenner, Bruns Spole Wieden, and Mildred Brimmer Bennet.  

In the Second Row are Seymour Wolfe, or at least a small portion therefor at the extreme left of the picture; Ethel Shannon McWilliams, Alma Wolfe, Raymond Boughter, Helen Gold McDermott, Sarah Dietrick, Alette Brimmer Sterner and Fred Sprote. 

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In January of 1966 the Daily Item reported:

 "Watsontown has asked for, and approval has been given, for the purchase of a site near the Watsontown Community Park to enlarge the park and provide better recreational activities"

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1906 Sanborn Map

Showing the Table company at the area where the Watson Mart Stands today

1908 Williamsport Gazette