For nearly a century, Montgomery Park has been a place where generations of Montgomery residents have played, competed, picnicked, celebrated, relaxed, and enjoyed festivals. It holds the distinction of being the largest public park in Lycoming County.

According to the Montgomery Centennial history booklet, before Montgomery established a park, the borough rented land that was used for local baseball games. Referred to as the Wagner property, it went from South Main Street and stretched to the river. Attempts had been made to purchase the property, but the owner wasn’t interested in selling.

In 1924, a park committee was formed. The committee, along with the Business Men’s Association, raised $15,000 to buy land to create a public park ($250,847.14 in today’s money). Plans were underway to purchase a property on Second Street, but the Wagner estate decided to sell the land after all. When the park plans were in process, six acres were also donated from a property “above Second Street” by Hervey Smith (Montgomery Centennial history booklet).

A little more than a year after the plans were made, the park was ready to be enjoyed by the town’s residents.

The July 5, 1925, issue of the Grit said that the park had a baseball diamond that it called “first class” and reported, “The Montgomery team of the West Branch League is using for the first time this season one of the finest baseball diamonds in the county. It is part of the Montgomery Public Park, the new recreational and amusement resort opened near the north end of the new Montgomery river bridge. The park has a ‘skinned’ diamond and the outfield has been graded and tilled until it is as smooth as many infields.”

The Grit went on to say that the park property was nearly ten acres. It had a “commodious” pavilion, three tennis courts, “modern playground apparatus”, a baseball diamond with a grandstand, and picnic grounds. It was reported that the week before, the Elks had “Kiddie Day” for the town’s children to enjoy the park. “Four or five hundred children congregated on Main Street and marched to the park headed by the ‘Hicktown Band.’ Contests and games of all kinds were enjoyed by the youngsters who had been provided with purple crepe paper hats bearing the well known insignias of the Elks lodge. There were plenty of ‘eats’ and free rides on the merry-go round for all.”

The park was in use for over a decade but was horrifically destroyed in the 1936 flood. On March 29, 1936, the Grit reported that the Montgomery bridge had sustained so much damage that “A slab of concrete about 300 feet long was tossed into the Montgomery Park. The park, one of the finest in this section, was destroyed.”

On July 4, 1937, the Grit reported that Montgomery Park would be re-dedicated on July 7 as part of Montgomery’s Semi-Centennial celebration. It was more than a year after the park was destroyed. Bands and orchestras from Bloomsburg and Williamsport were scheduled to provide music for the dedication.

Montgomery Little League got its start in the 1940s and the organization’s games were played in Montgomery Park for the first several years (from Joan Wheal-Blank’s “Around Montgomery Borough 1940-1990). River Field, the current Montgomery Little League field, wasn’t built until after Montgomery’s WPA swimming pool was closed in 1954 (The Luminary, July 25, 2018).

In 1958, the Montgomery Lions Club began having their annual Easter Egg Hunt in Montgomery Park, which has long been one of the most well-loved town traditions (The Luminary, March 24, 2016).

One of the highlights of the park was that it had a beach built in 1963 (Montgomery Area Bicentennial Celebration, 1976). The sandy beach had a roped-off swimming area and a concession stand. It was a popular attraction for several years.

Unfortunately, the 1972 Flood caused major damage in Montgomery. The Montgomery Park Beach was ordered to close temporarily after the 1972 flood, along with five other local beaches (The Grit, July 2, 1972). The beach never reopened.

The Montgomery Centennial booklet reported, “At this time Montgomery Park was again virtually destroyed as it had been 36 years earlier.” Repairs to the park were done in 1975 when funding became available.

Montgomery Park has provided generations of the community with wonderful memories, but it is also a place for solemn remembrance. Memorial Day services are held in the park each May and are organized by the American Legion Bower-Decker Post #251. The park has a memorial stone and surrounding it are six small plaques with the names of each of the six Montgomery residents who died serving in World War I.

While the park has been submerged in floods since 1972, it has never sustained damage as serious as it did in 1936 and 1972.

The park continues to be enjoyed by Montgomery residents. It has hosted a variety of countless festivals, activities, and sporting events over the many years, and remains a popular place for community gatherings.