The Newark star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1909, 1909-06-21
MILITARY PARK
FAvOR|IE HAUNT
OF old TIMERS
:
Was Formerly Known as THE
Commons and Was Beau.
tiful Shady Spot,
STRANGE CHANGE CAME
AFTER CIVIL WAR
Tramps Then Made Their APP
J pearance and Many Now
/. : Lounge on the Benches.

Because of the hot weather yesterday,
men, women and children went to the
Scity parks In the afternoon and evening
after the cool breeze of the early part
of the day had ceased. A great many
persons visited Branch Brook, East
Side, West Sid and Weequahic parks,
and the many benches in Military,
Washington and Lincoln parks were
crowded. Among the men on the
benches were few tramps. But there
were a good many from cheap lodging
houses. Mechanics and old men were
really in the majority in Military
Park. The policeman on duty in
the park made every man he saw
: doing on 9 bench get UP and move
on. a man SO years old, who was
seated or one of the benches near the
Kearny statue remarked to a man who
was enjoying a smoke beside him that
he had spent a N hour or two in the
park hearty every pleasant night and
Sunday for more than sixty years.
Military Park was known years age
AS they training ground, and the early
militia companies used to drill here.
and on general training day companies
"a IA ~ Va " II ' 10
and colors came from all parts of the
county, and a colonel or general was In
~ command. Cider and lemonade and
apples and pears and peaches and
homemade cake were sold on stands
along the walks outside the park, and
milk was only a penny a glass.
Was Knows MS seThe Commons,
When the park was called the Com
v,,nnc p,oi1- far rfnL i 60 ~. ;1tn. ;,1 &hn
, neighhorhood had many babies in their
carriages on the walks and the little
boys and girls played games on the
grass, for in those days nobody ever
saw a sign in our park, Keep off the
grass We did not have any tramps
there, didn't know of any. either, and
Z the best citizens, old II young, walked
I along the Wide east and west side paths
afternoons and on moonlight nights.
Those MANNED elm trees and those
sound trees had great spreading
branches in the old days. and the
:. branches, heavy with large green
leaves, formed such a canopy over the
two main walks that the sunlight got
through only in a few places. The
richest and the poorest In the city
walked in the park then. There, We're
: -snet-many benches, land people did not
ah care for them, FOR theyo were USED 10
~ walking. and liked it. and the richest
men would stop and chat with poor
men and women they knew.
Change After Civil Wnr.
There was a great change a few
years after the Civil War. for seedy-
looking men began coming here. The
old name of Commons was given up
for. that of Military. Park. It was not
until the panic of fish and the years
of slack work that SO many tramps
appeared that they became a nuisance.
The, public finally demanded that the
tramps be not allowed to lounge in the
Pr park day and night. Policemen were
assigned to the park to look after the
II sltramps, but the latter managed to get
Q resting spells on the benches. Few
women and children visited the park
until the city authorities laid out beds
+ of flowers aaaf