Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1905-07-14
A Communication.
Editors of the Kennebec Journal:

| lJ16 lIldI diI tuC WUICLt
have thus far appeared in the Journal
on the general question of providing
the city with suitable park fail to
| appreciate the real needs and the real
opportunities of Augusta So far as
this important matter is concerned.
quite agree with the writer in yester-
days Journal that the Fort Western
site is undesirable on account of it's
expense, and it's limited area At the
| same time 1t seems to me that the
}Driving park, while Offering vastly
more land Is not the best possible 10
cation for such park as the citizens
of Augusta ought to have and may
tave. Nature has been very generous
to Augusta in this respect and has CIV
en- us near the city, and within easy
walking distance of our people, one of
the most magnificent opportunities for
an ideal park which can be found in
all New England. I refer to the beau
tiful wooded territory on the new Hal
lowell road, known as "Nigger hill"
Here is a tract of land which must cor
tain hundred or more acres, and
which offers every natural advantage
which the heart could wish for such a
park as our city should have and
| which would be perpetual delight in
| years to come to all our people. A
magnificent forest growth covers this
hill, and with winding roads to the
summit would afford a walk or drive
of great beauty.
From the foot of the hill on the new
HalloweIl road is a stretch of compare
lively level land. with ample room for
one of the most magnificent athletic
fields to be found in all New England,
if it were deemed desirable to have one
In fact, nothing essential to real park
is lacking in this magnificent tract of
land. Not long ago prominent citizen
Of Maine, residing i'll another part of the
State, wrote letter which was pub
lished in the Journal expressing the
opinion that this location afforded IA
cilities for park that would equal il
not surpass the beautiful Mount Roy
al park, which has SO long been the
pride of the great city of Montreal.
There are no buildings to be torn dowr
upon this large tract of land. and I
have no doubt but what it could be
purchased, today. for the purposes OF a
city park from it's present owners for
considerably less money than is askeI
for the contracted area of land availa-
| BILE around Fort Western.
If we are to put thousands of dollars
into park, let us by all means get a
REAL park, not one whose narrow
limitations would scarce entitle it 20
| the name. BY all means let US consider
the athletic interests Of the city. Let
us consider too the health and welfare
of the laboring men and women of
Augusta, to whom sucn an outing place
as this would mean vastly more than it
does to those of our CitiZers who are
| financially able to avail themselves Of
the attractions of our summer resorts.
Such a park. as have spoken Of, would
| be a perpetual outing place for every
man, woman and child in the city Of
| Augusta. who from force of circum-
stances is obliged to spend the entire
year within'its limits. With fine walks
and drives winding up and down the
hillside. anaf a beautiful observatory
upon it's crest. bringing into view miles
and miles OF the beautiful Kennebec
valley; with the river winding down.
amid the green hills. to the sea, GER
tainly nothing of scenic charm is lack
ing i'm this site. 1t is admirably located
for meeting the needs Of an athletic
field, being fully as available for Gardi-
ner and Hallowell patrons as is the
present Driving park. To be sure, the
! Electric Road has no line running past
it at the present time, but it would be
a very small matter for it to extend
such lire from its present car barn.
and there is not shadow Of doubt that
| If the city should secure this property
for park purposes. it would promptly
| do so.
| Have you ever been to the top of this
hill and looked down upon the country?
If not, you have no idea Of the superb
| view it commands. Why should we
spend $4,000 or SAC, 900 for 4 little five
acre plot in the heart of the city, when
this magnificent area of more than
100 acres could probably he bought for
a considerably less sum and would
afford a variety of advantages and
| perpetual delights which would be as
| far beyond the capacity OF the Fort
| Western site in that direction as one
| could well imagine? There is. in fact.
no comparison between this site and
the proposed Fort Western site. Meth
er would there. in my Judgment. be
any comparison between it and the
present Driving park, infinitely superb
| or as that is to the limited space which
| some of your contributors have advo-
Gated i'm the vicinity Of Fort Western.
Before we plunge the city into debt
and spend thousands and thousands Of
the taxpayers money in the purchase
of any land for park purposes, let us
stop and give the people chance to
carefully investigate this matter for
themselves, and then let them say ut
the polls by Il secret ballot, which shall
| express their honest convictions in the
matter, which is the site for that pur-
pose they honestly believe will be for
the best interest of all concerned for
Augusta to purchase. I hope every
one Of your readers will improve the
next fair Sunday to go down and walk
over this beautiful stretch of woodland
along the new Hallowell road, and
| climb to the crest of the hill along the
beautiful woodland walks that lead to
| it, and from there look out upon the