By Melissa McKeon CORRESPONDENT
March 24. 2013 6:00AM
It might be difficult to remember a time when parkland was eagerly sought, and purchasing it was included as part of city and town budgets as an appropriate outlay of taxpayer money. The park in this photo was, indeed, purchased by the city of Worcester.
The process began in 1888, when more than 90 acres were purchased. Over the next 20 years, more acreage would be added, bridges built and the landscape sculpted, all part of what made this neighborhood a pleasant place for families.
The acreage here was a small part of more than a thousand acres of parkland scattered throughout Worcester, and its purchase and development was a continuation of a city tradition of devoting public money to creating and developing these green spaces, begun with the famous Elm Park purchase in 1854.
Hint: The charming bridge in this 1953 photo was replaced by a less picturesque roadway.