112 



FIEST COUXTY PAEK SYSTEM 



COMIMISSIOX PAID CITY $20,000. 



The city authorities, not wishing to delay work on the 

 parks, had in the meantime, during the years 1896 and 

 J 897, with reasonable promptness, taken proceedings to close 

 > the necessary streets leading to each of the parks — Branch 

 Brook, Ea5t Side, and West Side — as located within the 

 city limits. But the questions referred to were not fully 

 disposed of until the offer of the commission, agreed upon 

 at the meeting Xovember 16, 1898, was accepted. Under 

 that proposition and the final settlement, the commission 

 paid the city of Xewark, through the Board of Street and 

 Water Commissioners, $20,000, together with the privilege 

 of constructing the city sewer through the park; and, in 

 consideration of this, the latter board ceded to the commis- 

 sion the two blocks of land — all the city then owned — in 

 the Sussex avenue division of the park, between Duryee 

 street. Orange street and the Morris Canal. 



TUEXIXG THE FIEST SOD. 



The real work in grading, and for the surface embellish- 

 ment of Branch Brook Park, was begun the morning of 

 June 15, 1896. Xo special ceremony graced the occasion. 



Three of the eonunissioners, Messrs. Peck, Meeker and 

 myself, with the secretary and Engineer Bogart, were pres- 

 ent. Promptly, at 8 :30 o'clock, the president, with 

 a new spade, turned the first sod. The contractors 

 had a large force of men and teams ready, and, from that 

 time, the work on this great pleasure ground went rapidly 

 forward. Xow that more than nine years have passed and 

 more than $2,500,000 has been expended there, the work is 

 hardly yet completed, and at the present rate of progress 

 it may be another year before the bridge approaches and 

 other improvements are finished. 



When completed, this park of 278 acres will be one of the 

 most attractive and interesting pleasure grounds of the size 

 in the country. The topography is sufficiently varied to make 

 practicable the different styles of landscape treatment em- 



