Stark Park is a city park located on the north side of

Manchester, New Hampshire Manchester is the List of municipalities in New Hampshire, most populous city in the U.S. state of New Hampshire. Located on the banks of the Merrimack River, it had a population of 115,644 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Manches ...

. 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 M ...

, 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 the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

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 Ba ...

. It was listed on the U.S.

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 2006, and the

New Hampshire State Register of Historic Places The New Hampshire State Register of Historic Places (NHSRHP) is a register of historic places administered by the Government of New Hampshire, state of New Hampshire and the New Hampshire Division of Historical Resources. Buildings, districts, si ...

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 In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the reign of Queen Victoria, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. Slightly different definitions are sometimes used. The era followed th ...

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 genus ''Ulmus'' in the family Ulmaceae. They are distributed over most of the Northern Hemisphere, inhabiting the temperate and tropical- montane regions of North America and Eurasia, ...

trees originally lined the three land borders of the park, but were lost to Dutch Elm disease 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 (; , diminutive of (') ' spit, nail, pointed pillar') is a tall, slender, tapered monument with four sides and a pyramidal or pyramidion top. Originally constructed by Ancient Egyptians and called ''tekhenu'', the Greeks used th ...

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 Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, 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