Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Lynch Park, Beverly, Massachusetts- Not so Wordless Wednesday

Lynch Park Rose Garden
My Mom, baby sister, and me on the lion
1965

about 1997
my daughter and my Dad

2005
my daughter and Hubby

Lynch Park was originally a piece of land known as Woodbury's Point.  During the Revolutionary War there was a small fort with guns to protect the town of Beverly.  Eventually the land was part of a large seaside estate built by the Evans family, where President Taft summered in 1909 and 1910.  Mrs. Evans built the sunken rose garden behind the large mansion that used to stand here.  There is a statue here called "The Falconer" inspired by one that was in New York's Central Park, where Mr. Evans saw it out of his hospital window.  The estate eventually was given to Beverly as a public park.

My parents met at Lynch Park, playing catch with a ball on the beach in the 1950s.  They were engaged at a lighthouse right down the street.  I grew up playing there on the lawns, in the rose garden and had swimming lessons on the same beach.  My uncle Don was a city gardner for Lynch Park and the rose garden.  When I married and lived in New Hampshire I made sure that my daughter and husband knew Lynch Park.  We visit often at all seasons of the year.   The rose garden and the lions that guard the stairs are still our favorite part of the park.

For the full history of Lynch Park click here http://www.bevrec.com/lynchpark.html#HISTORY

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Copyright 2011, Heather Wilkinson Rojo

3 comments:

  1. Thanks for posting these photos and stories Heather!

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  2. Hi Heather. We might know each other. Your Uncle Don was my brother-in-law. :)

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