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.

Pennsylvania Canal Markers can still be seen in the park, near the river.

=========================

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)

1910 Postcard

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.  

From  The Record and Star , August 5, 1921

"Park Fete and Big Carnival at Memorial Park

Decorated and Illuminated Booths, Games, Merchandise and Fruit Sales, Ball Games in Afternoon and Band Concert in Evening

Watsontown will stage a Parke Fete and Carnival at Memorial Park, tomorrow afternoon and evening August 6.  This will take the place of the annual street carnival that has proven such a success in past years.

Beautiful and illuminated booths will be erected, where suitable refreshments will be on sale.  In the afternoon at three o'clock a base ball game will be played with Muncy as the opposing team.  This promises to bring out a large crowd.

In the evening the usual carnival features will help to entertain the crowd, while a band concert will be given.

Memorial Park is one of the finest spots in the vicinity, while the reputation attained by the town for putting on street carnivals will be upheld by those in charge, who promise entertainment and amusement for all."

=====================

In May of 1921, after being a park for more than a decade, the park was "Formerly Opened", with a new Memorial Park Association in charge.  Although this was the "Opening", The park was open, and had been used for a variety of events each summer, as reported in the local papers, long before the Park Memorial Association was formed.

 In 1920, the Watsontown Memorial Park Assoc was formed.  The Board of Directors consisted of one representative from each of the following organizations: Civic Club, Parent Teacher Association, Women’s Christian Temperance Union, Fire Department, Red Cross, School Board, Town Council, American Legion, Business Men’s Association, Trinity Reformed Church, First Evangelical Lutheran Church, First Presbyterian Church, Watsontown Episcopal Methodist Church, and Watsontown Baptist Church.  

In 1921 it was reported that the tennis courts had been completed and the children's playground equipment had been purchased by the Parent Teacher Association.

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

Find more of the history of the 3 Warrior Run Churches, the last of which still stands today,  here: https://susquehannavalley.blogspot.com/2019/10/the-historic-warrior-run-church.html

=====================

The earliest photos of the park feature the brick ended bridge, on the west side of the park, connecting to the parking lot.  I do not yet know when this stone bridge was added to the park.

==========================

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 

=====================================

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

=======================================

=============
READ MORE
=============

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. 

===================

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"

==================

1906 Sanborn Map

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

1908 Williamsport Gazette