The Ball Tract, informally called the Elmwood playground, was to receive a new name at a Memorial Day event in 1932. William J. Crosier, Superintendent of the Parks and Recreation Department, proposed the name Soldiers' Field, which the Parks and Recreation Commission accepted.
Major Crosier, a veteran of the Spanish-American War, wanted to pay tribute to its soldiers. The Beech Street Grounds (later Mackenzie Stadium) was included in the proposed renaming.
Major Crosier had laid out a park design featuring 20 16-foot Norway maple trees, which he would supply to grace the park along Northampton Street in honor of those who lost their lives in the war. He would also contribute the stone boulder bearing a bronze plaque inscribed with the names of all of Holyoke's soldiers who fought in the Spanish-American War.
The Parks and Recreation Commission granted Col. Crosier authority to meet with veterans' and other civic organizations in preparation for the field's dedication. The plans included a flag-raising and a parade as part of the opening event.
In anticipation of the opening, the Parks and Recreation Dept. leveled and reseeded the field in late April 1932. Golfers were encouraged, albeit somewhat unsuccessfully, to remain off the field to allow the grass to root and take hold.
The dedication of Soldiers' Field was formally set for July 4, 1932. Atty. Nathan P. Avery was selected as the keynote speaker for the event.
Miss Ellen H. Ives donated a Brownstone drinking fountain in memory of her brother Dwight H. Ives. Miss Ives, who was 89 years old in 1932, was the great-granddaughter of Eunice Day.
The stone fountain stood 6.5 feet tall and 3 feet wide. The fountain was placed along Northampton Street, near the tennis courts. It would be situated approximately on the former site of a house, where Miss Ives once taught school.
The parade featured civic, government, military groups, Boy Scouts, and the Polish Falcons Drum Corps. The march began on Hampden Street and continued along High, Sargeant, and Beech Street Extension to the park. There were baseball games scheduled for the afternoon, although heavy rainfall may have led to cancellations, along with a sham battle between two companies of the Massachusetts National Guard.
Citations:
Newspapers.com (paid subscription): Citations: Holyoke (Massachusetts) Transcript & Transcript-Telegram; Springfield (Massachusetts) Republican; publication dates and pages are shown.
No comments:
Post a Comment