Edgemont Memorial Park

History

A committee for park construction in 1906 decided to purchase the land for the park with a $100,000 bond issue, following a town referendum. The effort to buy the land was led by William B. Dickson, who backed a quarter of the bonds issued. The land which comprised the park was originally a golf course, built 10 years prior to the park's founding. Edgemont was originally named the Harrison Tract park. The memorial was dedicated in 1925. The park can also be seen about 20 minutes into the movie To Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything, Julie Newmar, being referenced as the location where Vida was asked to “stop imitating Esther Williams in Million Dollar Mermaid” in her hometown of Bala Cynwyd.

Overview

Memorial

The most prominent feature of the park is the pond and the small island with the World War I memorial on it. Edgemont Park is known for its World War I memorial, which is one of the landmarks of Montclair. The main memorial, created in 1924 by Charles Keck, is a tall obelisk with bronze sculptures of Winged Victory on top and the Billy Boys on the bottom. On the sides of the obelisk are etched the names of those who fell in the First World War, to whom the monument is dedicated. In front of the memorial there are small plaques that have the names of those who died in the Vietnam War and Korean War and World War II.

Amenities

• Baseball/softball diamonds[[File:Shelter House, Edgemont Memorial Park (2006).jpg|thumb|right|The shelter house]]
• Pond
• Shelter house with restrooms and kitchen
• Children's playground
• Bikeways and Footpaths
• Ice skating in the winter, outdoor
• Band concerts
• Fourth of July picnic
• Holiday memorial services
• Memorial Obelisk
• Cherepovets Garden

Gallery

Image:Winged Victory statue, Edgemont Memorial Park, New Jersey.jpg|A landmark in Montclair, World War I Memorial in Edgemont Park File:Memorial obelisk, Edgemont Memorial Park (2006) (2).jpg|World War I Memorial with the sculptures of Winged Victory and the Billy Boys File:Pond scum, Edgemont Memorial Park (2006).jpg| Close-up of the algaeic scum that covers half of the pond File:Memorial obelisk, Edgemont Memorial Park (2006).jpg| Portion of the memorial obelisk File:Dam, Edgemont Memorial Park (2006).jpg| The dam File:Geese, and a DO NOT FEED THE GEESE sign (Edgemont Memorial Park, 2006).jpg|Geese excrete solid waste and sit on the side of the pond

References

References

1. https://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Edgemont+Park+NJ&sll=37.926868,-68.730469&sspn=20.713245,45.527344&ie=UTF8&ll=40.8268,-74.200115&spn=0.077807,0.177841&z=13&iwloc=AJuly accessed July 13th
2. Jaeger, P. (1998). Montclair A Postcard Guide to its Past. Arcadia Publishing.
3. http://www.baristanet.com/2006/05/the_cutting_edge_at_edgemont_p_1.php {{Webarchive. link. (2008-08-28 accessed July 13th 2008)
4. "Montclair Parks".