The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-10-31
JAMES WALKER BEARDSLEY
Donor of Beautiful Park Which Bears His Name Had Planned Much
 For Its Future.
His Tragic Death at the Hands of Assassins Prevented His Carry-
 ing Out of Plans.
(By Arthur French.)

James Walker Beardsley, whose benefaction gave to Bridgeport the noble and extensive land property
 from which was evolved the handsome public park, bearing his name, long before this became reality or was
 materialized, had a number of pros- poets in mind for adding, in an arti- ficial way, to the beauty and better
 enhance the natural attractiveness of
 the resort after it had passed it's em- bryot1c stage, but other features nev- CT had place in the park on account
 of his sudden and tragic demise.
 A close acquaintance of MT. Beard sley to whom he confided some of his plans-talked interestingly to a rep resentative of the Farmer anent it all. among other things saying:
 Had MT. Beardsley lived in health would have used considerable of his means-in jointure with the city if possible-to carry out his projects, as stated before. The park was his
 hobby" as the expression goes. When the city had lived up to it's agree ment for using a stipulated sum year 1y to put the park Ion it's feet" then
 MT. Beardsley began to plan what
 he could do to help things along In the attraction line.
 recall a day in the blossom time of May. when I met MT. Beardsley in the park and passed an hour looking things over. This was three decades ago. Reaching that we'll known en- thence in the park, appellated Pros pect hill, we rested and my compan- ion dilated at length on the views. especially to the east and south to the city and sound. He also re- marked that the, hill was not quite high enough to get the best of obser- vation, especially of the sound, but we'll overcome that he added. Just |. . <5 k,<JJ T LII T., Or at least, what I hope, to live to see done, and I'll do the lions share At the center of this circumference perhaps said he smiling, meaningly- there will be erected a large obser- vation tower, either of rough or field abouts. No woodwork with open ings for light. The stairways to be of stone, leading to the top, stone bal ustrade around the stone observation floor. That will be something worth while in lookout way, .eh? That's what I want to live to see done, and I hope to. I can already imagine the delight with which the thousands of visitors to the park, would comesto that tower for sight seeing. Would trailing vine, as my idea is for a somewhat massive structure.
 As coincidence, MT. Beardsley's idea was followed by a wealthy re- tired sea captain of Lynn: Mass, who had built just such an observation tower, few years since, on hill back of that city and which bears a light. flashing out to sea, at the cap- tain's expense.
 Mr. Beardsley had even then sens- ed the need of the enlargement of the park, and the city's purchase of land for the same was forestal1ed. Had the donor lived, this land would have been acquired gratis. I believe Mr. Beardsley had planned to bring about the building of rustic structure in the present new part of the park adjacent to the "bowH' as he called it. He also had some suggestions as to several appropriate additions to the water front ornamentation, but sev- eral projects he reserved from dis cussing and drifted to remarks per taining to the floral and tree Ornamen- tation of the park with which he had been and was so closely affiliat- ed Finally, it should be borne in mind that Mr., Beardsley expected to bring about the carrying out of his several projects, only through a use | of his private purse. He said that he often-long before the park was ssborn"- dreamed about it and as the l phrase runs, s.Some dreams come | true"