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Kennedy Park (Fall River, Massachusetts)
Encyclopedia
Kennedy Park is a 57 acres (23.1 ha) historic park located in Fall River, Massachusetts
. It is bounded by South Main Street, Bradford Avenue, Middle, and Bay Streets in the southern part of the city. The area of the city where the park is located was until 1862, part of Rhode Island
.
The park was originally the farm of John Durfee. The location gained national attention in December 1832, when the pregnant lifeless body of Sarah M. Cornell was found hanging from a stackpole there. Her death was later deemed to be murder. Methodist minister Ephraim K. Avery was accused of the crime, but acquitted after a sensational trial. The verdict outraged many local citizens. Sarah's body was initially buried on the Durfee farm, but moved years later to Oak Grove Cemetery
when the park was being built.
Built in 1868, designed by famed 19th century landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted
and Calvert Vaux, the park was originally known as "South Park". It was updated in 1904 by the Olmsted Brothers. The park was renamed in 1963 following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy
. The park provides a vast area of open space in the middle of a particularly dense portion of the city, surrounded by many triple-decker working-class tenement houses and the Catholic St. Anne's Church
.
The park has three sections: a flat upper section used for baseball
and recreation fields, a sloping middle portion with sweeping views of Mount Hope Bay
, and a lower somewhat wooded portion along the Bay.
The park was added to the National Historic Register in 1983. It was restored in 2001.
Kennedy Park has long been used a place for public events in the city.
In September 1996, over 25,000 people gathered in the lower portion of the park to see then President Bill Clinton
during a campaign stop for his 1996 re-election.
Each August since 1986, the park hosts the Great Holy Ghost Feast of New England, a celebration of Azorean culture which attracts over 200,000 people each year.
Fall River, Massachusetts
Fall River is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, in the United States. It is located about south of Boston, southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, and west of New Bedford and south of Taunton. The city's population was 88,857 during the 2010 census, making it the tenth largest city in...
. It is bounded by South Main Street, Bradford Avenue, Middle, and Bay Streets in the southern part of the city. The area of the city where the park is located was until 1862, part of Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
.
The park was originally the farm of John Durfee. The location gained national attention in December 1832, when the pregnant lifeless body of Sarah M. Cornell was found hanging from a stackpole there. Her death was later deemed to be murder. Methodist minister Ephraim K. Avery was accused of the crime, but acquitted after a sensational trial. The verdict outraged many local citizens. Sarah's body was initially buried on the Durfee farm, but moved years later to Oak Grove Cemetery
Oak Grove Cemetery (Fall River, Massachusetts)
Oak Grove Cemetery is a historic cemetery at 765 Prospect Street in Fall River, Massachusetts.The cemetery was built in 1855 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.-Notable burials:...
when the park was being built.
Built in 1868, designed by famed 19th century landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted
Frederick Law Olmsted
Frederick Law Olmsted was an American journalist, social critic, public administrator, and landscape designer. He is popularly considered to be the father of American landscape architecture, although many scholars have bestowed that title upon Andrew Jackson Downing...
and Calvert Vaux, the park was originally known as "South Park". It was updated in 1904 by the Olmsted Brothers. The park was renamed in 1963 following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
. The park provides a vast area of open space in the middle of a particularly dense portion of the city, surrounded by many triple-decker working-class tenement houses and the Catholic St. Anne's Church
St. Anne's Church and Parish Complex
St. Anne's Church and Parish Complex is an historic church complex located at 818 Middle Street Fall River, Massachusetts. It is part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fall River. In addition to the church, the complex also includes the former rectory as well as the former Dominican Academy,...
.
The park has three sections: a flat upper section used for baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
and recreation fields, a sloping middle portion with sweeping views of Mount Hope Bay
Mount Hope Bay
Mount Hope Bay is a tidal estuary located at the mouth of the Taunton River on the Massachusetts and Rhode Island border. It is an arm of Narragansett Bay. The bay is named after Mount Hope, a small hill located on its western shore in what is now Bristol, Rhode Island. It flows into the East...
, and a lower somewhat wooded portion along the Bay.
The park was added to the National Historic Register in 1983. It was restored in 2001.
Kennedy Park has long been used a place for public events in the city.
In September 1996, over 25,000 people gathered in the lower portion of the park to see then President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
during a campaign stop for his 1996 re-election.
Each August since 1986, the park hosts the Great Holy Ghost Feast of New England, a celebration of Azorean culture which attracts over 200,000 people each year.
See also
- Fall River, MassachusettsFall River, MassachusettsFall River is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, in the United States. It is located about south of Boston, southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, and west of New Bedford and south of Taunton. The city's population was 88,857 during the 2010 census, making it the tenth largest city in...
- List of Registered Historic Places in Fall River, Massachusetts