Letter: Park’s real name - Tiverton Bicentennial Green

Posted 12/5/18

To the editor:

It has come to the point that I can no longer sit idle and witness the name of one of Tiverton’s prettiest public areas be published incorrectly.

I am writing about the green …

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Letter: Park’s real name - Tiverton Bicentennial Green

Posted

To the editor:

It has come to the point that I can no longer sit idle and witness the name of one of Tiverton’s prettiest public areas be published incorrectly.

I am writing about the green area at the Stone Bridge abutment that has been mislabled many times by local authors in various newspapers. I have seen it called “Doughboy Park,” “Stone Bridge Park,” “Grinnell’s Park,” “The Blue Star Memorial,” “By-way Park,” “Stone Bridge Waterfront Park,” and recently, and perhaps the most ludicrous one yet, “The doughboy Bicentennial Park.” An approximately 99-year-old statue celebrated a 200th anniversary—think about that one for a while.

On November 11, 1974, the Tiverton Bicentennial Commission appeared before the Tiverton Town Council to present a list of the many activities it hoped to organize in the spirit of the simultaneous bicentennial celebrations of the United States and Rhode Island. A slide show was presented showing the commission’s ideas and plans for the many different projects they hoped to undertake with the approval of the council, including one-time celebrations as well as longer-lasting commemorations for Tiverton.

The main topic discussed at that meeting was the possibility of creating a permanent green area at the intersection of Main Road and the run-down remains of the old Stone Bridge area. At that time, the area was an eyesore, being littered with beer cans, fishing line, stinky bait boxes, and other discarded items.

The town council and Council President Louise Durfee enthusiastically approved the concept. Later, with council support along with that of State Senator G. John Canulla and State Representive Francis McGreavy, the idea progressed. At their request, I appeared before the state senate and Department of Public Works to present a slide show to convince the state to agree to sell the land to the town for $1.00.  Eventually that was accomplished and it made way for the project to begin. 

On May 4, 1975—Rhode Island Independence Day—the groundbreaking ceremony was held and the “Tiverton Bicentennial Green” project was officially underway. I believe in August 1976, the Tiverton Bicentennial Green was dedicated and officially turned over to the town by the Tiverton Bicentennial Commission.

Since then, significant changes have been made to improve this public area, although I don’t know who initiated them. I firmly believe that the updates improved the beauty of the green and the overall area. I would guess that the Tiverton Garden Club should receive the credit for the changes, and if so, I applaud them for doing so.

Robert A. Taylor

Tiverton Bicentennial Green Chairman, 1974–1976 

Tiverton

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