Park dedicated in 1936 to William Flynn
By:Vanessa S. Holt
BORDENTOWN CITY – For years, residents have referred to the park between Farnsworth Avenue and Second Street overlooking the Delaware River as the Hilltop Park.
However, as one researcher recently discovered, when the park was dedicated in 1936, it was intended to be a permanent memorial to a city resident.
On Armistice Day, Nov. 11, during that year, the Hilltop Park was dedicated to the late William R. Flynn, a city resident, member of the American Legion, and civic leader, according to an article in the Bordentown Register from Nov. 13, 1936.
Betty Ann Burke, a volunteer at the Bordentown Branch Library, came across a microfilm copy of the article while working on the library’s ongoing archive project. Further research revealed bits and pieces of information on Mr. Flynn, but the picture remains incomplete, she said.
Ms. Burke said she brought the matter of the mysterious Mr. Flynn to the attention of the Shade Tree Committee because of its recent work landscaping portions of the park.
The park is now home to another memorial, as the Frank Carr Memorial Iris Garden was unveiled during the Iris Festival in May near the park’s Second Street entrance, in honor of the former city resident who had won international acclaim with his prize hybrids.
Articles from the Nov. 6 and 13, 1936, issues of the Bordentown Register stated that the Hilltop Park’s construction was originally made possible through a Works Progress Administration grant. It was the first WPA project completed in Burlington County, according to the Nov. 13 article.
A parade made up of civic groups including the Manual Training School Band, BMI cadets, and Hope Hose Band had marked the occasion in 1936 when state WPA officials turned the park over to the city. The parade was the "largest ever held in the city" at the time, stated the article.
A temporary tablet had been erected near the park entrance according to the old articles, but Shade Tree Committee member Tracy Buchholtz said she had not been able to locate any residents who remember the memorial.
"Did the city take it back, or did someone abscond with it?" asked Ms. Buchholtz.
The committee would like to find out what the plaque said, and if a permanent memorial was ever installed – or if the matter was simply forgotten, said Ms. Buchholtz.
She expressed a hope that someone might have the plaque, and return it, after reading about it.
"I’ve heard of plaques turning up that way," she said.
The Shade Tree Committee is hoping to rededicate the park on Nov. 11 this year, and replace the lost plaque, if the original cannot be located, she said.
If a new plaque must be made, the group will hold fund-raisers, and seek support from other community groups to try to get a memorial back in place. Ms. Buchholtz said she hopes someone has an old photo, or some recollection of what the original might have said.
"We’re at a point now where the information we have is incomplete," she said.
According to an obituary published in April of 1936, Mr. Flynn died on April 11 of that year when he was in his "early forties." His funeral had been "one of the largest and most impressive demonstrations that Bordentown has ever witnessed," said the article.
Mr. Flynn had been a lifelong Bordentown resident, a graduate of Bordentown High School, and served in the U.S. Army, according to his obituary. It also stated that he had worked for the New Jersey Wire Cloth Co. in Roebling, and was a local correspondent of the Trenton Times for 15 years.
Mr. Flynn was active in Ervin V. Hamilton Post 26 of the American Legion, the Knights of Columbus, Board of Education, Delaware Fire Engine Company, and numerous other organizations, stated the article.
If you have any information about the Flynn memorial, or would like to make a donation to the Shade Tree Committee, call Tracy Buchholtz at 324-1092. Donations can be sent to the Shade Tree Committee, Attn: Tracy, P.O. Box 519, Bordentown, N.J., 08505.