The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1914-09-11
PROSPECT HILL TO
LOSE TENNIS COURT
Grounds to Be Used for Building Pur-
poses-History of Club Plea
for Courts on Fairgrounds.

1t is with great disappointment and
regret that the promoters of the Pros
poet Hill Tennis club announce that
they are obliged to give up their
grounds on Pine street, which are soon
to be used for building purposes.
The Prospect Hin Tennis club started
its existence in 1904, being the ont
growth of the Prospect Hill Athletic
association. at that time an organiza
ti0n of high school boys living On or
near Prospect hill. 1t had been the
/ aim of these boys to sometime have a
! tennis court on the hill, and it was in
! the spring of 1904, when the Brattle
! horo Rogue club gave up its grounds,
! that an opportunity was given them,
! through the generosity of Mrs. Nellie
! NJ. Coolidge, now of Springfield, Mass,
who gave free use of the grounds for
| two or three years.
BY diigcnt use of pick and shovel,
and arduous labor for several weeks.
and by combining their savings and
! club treasury. these bows succeeded in
| building a tennis court. which was
| wholly the work Of their own hands
| Money was scarce when it came to
! equipment; some bought cheap racquets,
others had to be content with wooden
paddles and lU-ceut rubber balls. An
old net was obtained from the Brattle-
i horo Golf club and hen wire encireled
the court on only three sides. In 1905.
i through the contributions of few of
/ the older boys on the hill. the club was
; able to enlarge the court and put wire
on all four sides of the grounds.
Through the sale of soft drinks, lee
! L L, tttAf
the club began to thrive but every
cent was used for the hettermcnt of
the court and grounds. MANY of those
! same boys will remember the Juggling
= and pulling necessary whenever the
, court was rolled with the old town
roller which weighed from 500 to 600
pounds. In 1907 the club built nice
: lawn around the court and small
house was erected where soda was sold
and in which tools, supplies, etc, were
kept. From that time to this euthu
siasm in the game has increased and
many a hot tournament has been con
tested on the grounds to establish the
f championship of Prospect hill.
= 1t was not until the season of 1911.
that the girls became interested in til,
. game, but since that time they have
been a leading factor in keeping tn,
- club thriving and today many OF then
Z share skill with the boys.
For the past five years it has beer
the only good tennis court in Brattie
!. boro, having Il hard, level surface, will
{ a drainage system that was almost per
feet, an advantage which most courts
do not have.
The object of the Prospect Hill Ten
mis- club has always been to promote ;
clean and healthful sport among tn,
young people and children living il
that section of the town. In this oh
~, iect it has been successful for it ha
F. proved to be a very popular play
Is ground. Not only has the court bec1
enjoyed by its 20 or 30 regular mem
bers, but by many children who hav
played free of charge, and by numer
Gus summer visitors in Brattleboro.
While it becomes necessary for tn
Prospect Hill Tennis club to give u
its grounds at this time, i is to b.
hoped that tennis court viii be mad
- in connection with the playground
Boys and girls between the ages of 1
and 20 need playground just as niue
as the children, and We know OF n
better place than on one side of tn
n Washington street school ground
i where tennis court stood - or 2
years ago. Shrubbery and flowers ar
all very beautiful in their place, but
T is much more important that such
- place as this be given over for play
ground purposes where boys and girl
can enjoy good, healthful sport, unde
N proper supervision, rather than to hay
n them walking the streets or visitin
n. pool rooms.
d Not only do we wish to see ter
mis- court on the Washington stree
grounds, but on all the other play
g. grounds in town for we believe it pro
T. vides clean amusement more than an
70 other sport adapted to a playground
e because it is usually quiet and OF
derby game, and free from rowdyisn
Nv We do not think a tennis court SUI
70 rounded by a high fence would caus
in any trouble for people living near til
oel Fairgrounds, for in our 10 years o
IN management Of the tennis club W
n have never had complaint of an