Stark Park is a city park located on the north side of Manchester, New Hampshire. It is a parcel of land between River Road and the

Merrimack River The Merrimack River (or Merrimac River, an occasional earlier spelling) is a river in the northeastern United States. It rises at the confluence of the Pemigewasset and Winnipesaukee rivers in Franklin, New Hampshire, flows southward into Mas ...

, which was once part of the larger farm property of

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

hero

John Stark Major-General John Stark (August 28, 1728 – May 8, 1822) was an American military officer who served during the French and Indian War and the Revolutionary War. He became known as the "Hero of Bennington" for his exemplary service at the Batt ...

. It was listed on the U.S.

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 2006, and the New Hampshire State Register of Historic Places in 2010.

History and description

The centerpieces of the park are the Stark Burial Ground, where Stark and some of his family are interred, and the 1948 bronze equestrian statue of Stark made by sculptor Richard Henry Recchia. The park was formally opened in 1893, making it one of the city's oldest parks (only Derryfield Park is older). It was originally designed as a typical Victorian-era park, with winding lanes, and a mix of woodlands, lawns, and gardens. A colonnade of

elm Elms are deciduous and semi-deciduous trees comprising the flowering plant genus ''Ulmus'' in the plant family Ulmaceae. They are distributed over most of the Northern Hemisphere, inhabiting the temperate and tropical-montane regions of North ...

trees originally lined the three land borders of the park, but were lost to

Dutch Elm disease Dutch elm disease (DED) is caused by a member of the sac fungi (Ascomycota) affecting elm trees, and is spread by elm bark beetles. Although believed to be originally native to Asia, the disease was accidentally introduced into Americas, America ...

in the 20th century. Some of its paths and vistas have also become overgrown since the park was established. The Stark family originally owned about of land in what is now northern Manchester.

was buried here after his death in 1822, and the family erected a memorial

obelisk An obelisk (; from grc, ὀβελίσκος ; diminutive of ''obelos'', " spit, nail, pointed pillar") is a tall, four-sided, narrow tapering monument which ends in a pyramid-like shape or pyramidion at the top. Originally constructed by Anc ...

in 1829. Stark's great-grandchildren deeded a area surrounding the family cemetery to the city in 1876. Public interest for a larger park memorializing Stark took place in the 1880s, and the family gave another to the city in 1891. The initial design of the park was made by Morton & Quimby, landscape architects from Boston, Massachusetts, and it was formally dedicated on June 17, 1893.

References

External links

Friends of Stark Park
{{NRHP in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire Protected areas established in 1892 Manchester, New Hampshire 1892 establishments in New Hampshire Protected areas of Hillsborough County, New Hampshire Tourist attractions in Manchester, New Hampshire Parks on the National Register of Historic Places in New Hampshire National Register of Historic Places in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire New Hampshire State Register of Historic Places

History and description

See also

References

External links