Lucius Beebe Memorial Library, Wakefield, Mass.

Title

Wakefield Rockery, circa 1910

Description

"As part of the $10,000 bequest from Cornelius Sweetser and an additional $10,000 raised by townspeople, a parks beautification program was instituted which resulted in the Bandstand, the Common as we know it, and the Rockery. A parks commission was also elected by Town Meeting in 1883 to oversee the project. Now one of Wakefield's most notable landmarks, the Rockery was originally the subject of much ridicule when it was first proposed in 1883 and erected in 1884. The original idea for the grotto-like structure came from Park Commissioner Captain James H. Carter, a neighbor of the site. It was his idea to pile the large rocks into a pyramid, surrounded by ivy, shrubbery and a fountain which cascaded into the basin below. A stately elm tree stood on the Rockery in front of the basin. In 1909, the Historical Society and private subscribers erected a tablet at the front of the Rockery, facing the downtown area. This tablet was moved in 1926 when the Rockery was redesigned to accommodate the Hiker Monument and the three stairs which lead to the Spanish War monument. The tablet is now behind the Rockery, facing the upper Common." -- Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Onofrio.

Image from the Wakefield Municipal Gas and Light Department annual calendar, 1998

Photo courtesy of Susan Miranda Byrnes.

Contributor

Institution: Lucius Beebe Memorial Library

Wakefield Municipal Gas & Light Department (Wakefield, Mass.)

D'Onofrio, Jayne M.

Coverage

Massachusetts--Middlesex (county)--Wakefield

Date

ca. 1910

Format

image/jpeg

Publisher

Wakefield, Mass. : Wakefield Municipal Gas & Light Department

Subject

Rockery (Wakefield, Mass.)

Historical markers

Type

still image

Photographs

Original Format

1 picture : b&w

Extent

21 x 28 cm.