Rockery

From WakWiki

The Rockery

The existence of the Rockery can be attributed to one man in particular, a Park Commissioner Jim Carter, whose outspoken manner and persistent personality eventually resulted in the construction of this landmark. At the time, Wakefield had established a $20,000 fund to improve the park, half from publicly raised funds and half from the will of Cornelius Sweetser. Carter, as well as the other Park Commissioners were elected during an 1883 Town Meeting and given the duty of overseeing the park improvements. Carter lived on the corner of Main and Crescent streets and in hopes of improving his view across the street, came up with the idea of stacking large boulders into a pyramid shape to ameliorate the appearance of the intersection.

At the time, the common was not a place of beauty. It was littered with garbage from the surrounding industrial factories at the time, particularly tin chips from Burrage Yale’s tin factory. Even still, Carter’s plan met much resistance and the public did not want to allow the Rockery, referred to as the “Grotto”, to be built in the town. Slowly, though, ivy, shrubs and the rocks were put in place, a water fountain was added and in 1884 it was near completion. The total cost of construction was $2610.18.

In 1916, Charles Doyle installed a new basin because problems were discovered with the original one. It was speculated that a large elm tree, located a few yards south of the basin, due to its size and root system caused the situation with the original basin.

On October 12, 1926, the well known Hiker statue was built by sculptor Theo Alice Ruggles Kitson and incorporated into the Rockery. The statue commemorates Wakefield citizens who served in the Spanish American War. The Hiker stands on a rock that bears a plaque with the twenty-nine names of the citizens who risked their lives during the war. It was dedicated on the 75th anniversary of the Richardson Light Guard, and Edward Gibon a past commander of the Richardson Light Guard administered the event. There were a number of speakers at the dedication and the statue was accepted for the town by Selectman and veteran of World War I, Charles F. Young.

In 1984 the Wakefield Center Neighborhood Association rebuilt the Rockery Fountain. They had a new pump house built and plumbed, new piping installed and a concrete floor built in the basin of the fountain.

The Hiker Monument stands in front of the Rockery