On November 11, 1931 the First Street Oval was dedicated as the William E Coleman playstead. More than 1000 people attended the dedication including the widow and children of the former Centerville resident. The Coleman's - now residents of New Jersey made the trip back to Lowell to attend the dedication.
This playground no longer exists. It became the site of WWII temporary veteran's housing and then was demolished to make way for the Hunt's Falls bridge and rotary as part of the VFW highway.
When the playstead was dedicated the current mayor Charles H. Slowey stated, "Through the dedication of the Coleman playstead the fallen hero's name will endure for years and years to come."
Dear Eileen,
ReplyDeleteWhat a great blog. As a long-time Lowell historian I really enjoyed this story. Although I knew about the Veteran's Housing I had never heard about the Coleman Playstead before. Really interesting! Thanks for working on preserving these important tales. Great work!
Mehmed Ali
Past President, Lowell Historical Society
Thanks! I'm new at blogging so I just saw your post tonight. I think I must need to set up notifications or something.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad someone is reading. Thinking about joining the Historical Society and talked to Marie today.
We must remember the people that things are named for. Important once; important always!!