Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-12-27
WASHINGTON PARK
IN THE LIMELIGHT
The Old Delaware River Resort,
Where the Duke Of Gloucester
Wrought Wonders

HNllE news that Washington Park on the
l. Delaware may be taken over for the
building of homes for Hog Island worlimen
brings back into the limelight that famous old
pleasure resort and its picturesque promoter,
William J. Thompson, sometime "l)ule of
Gloucester"
At the outset. however. it is well to remem-
ber that the site Of the park is not within the
limits OF the city of sloucester but Il mile
below it. and that "reminiscences touching
upon 1t should not. therefore, lap over upon
the racetracl; and the gambling houses adja-
cent thereto which at one time made the
town rather dark red spot upon the map.
Washington Park didn't come into exist
ence until 1895, and IT was always, as far
us recollection goes now, well behaved. This
vittue may have been mainly comparative,
because Of the scarlet sister in the back
ground, but It was the frequent boast of
Thompson that never in the history OF the
park had it been the scene Of any great un-
,u,iness OF of a serious accident OF any kind.
This last claim was the heart of ThoIlpsons
chief pride and indicated trait in his make
up amounting to hpsitive genius, which conf
mentators busying themselves mostly with
the mans faults have utterly lost sight Of.
Thompson, II hc0were alive and we'll today,
would be helpful to that branch OF the Gov
ernment service having 10 do with trans
portation problems. There wasn't a pleasure
resort in the country twenty years ago so
efficiently and economically handled as WASH
ington Park
Thompson never let crowd get away
with him. once he nearly did, but lie never
made that mistake again. It was on that
first opening day, May 80, 1895. He had
counted upon 10000 visitors 10000 came.
It was a wild day, full Of comedy and near
tragedies The big attraction was Innes's
Band, and it was that musical organizations
first bow in this part of the country. Thv
Introductory concert was set for l 80 O'Clock,
but the band instruments, sent down by
wagon from this city, got lost in the woods
somewhere midway. While scouts beat the
underbrush for them, the growing crowd was
making that terribly hot Memorial Day mis-
erablo for tho special "constabules' provided
b,, the Sheriff of Gloucester County. That
was a peculiar feature of the policing of the
narl;: Thompson paid the wages of the police,
but the Sheriff controlled them.
The bands instruments arrived along about
4 o'clock and the musicians worked over
time 10 make up for the delay and to soothe
,ba 40 600 savage breasts. The wild day was
followed, II might be supposed, by wilder
night but the mobs We're turned homeward
M length without mishap. Next season. or
nerhaps two seasons later, even greater
crowds were drawn to the park by the first
appearance hereabouts of Victor Herbert.
Coming of Lochinvar Bryan
When William Jennings Bryan first came
ont Of the West, in September. 1896. lie let
loose his first burst Of oratory in the grove
AZ washington Park before an audience of
40 600 people, which was ten times as many
as heard him that same evening in the Acad-
en,y OF Music. The Democratic committee
haS piclSed him up at Wilmington in the
warming and escorted him to the Lafayette
Hotel. at Broad and SAMSON streets. After
luncheon, accompanied by John j. Curley,
Charles p. Donnely, John ]. Molony. p. J.
>JcManus, Matt Dittman and others of the
nnterrihed whose names don't come to us at
this moment. the Boy Orator of the Platte
,oojS carriage at the door OF the hotel and
vas driven TO South Street Ferry and. with
o,,t dismounting anywhere in transit, was
,olled with a flourish up to the speakers stand
T., the mark, on several other occasions subse-
auentiy. he spoke in the main pavilion there,
for Thompson idolized the man, but on
that first appearance In September. 1895,
Rryan came. trailing clouds of glory" which
never afterward seemed SO resplendent, al
though the crowds may have been more
numerous. a.
There issa form Of manic. doctors tell