South Richmonders Have Fun at . . .

Carter Jones Park

By Elizabeth H. Smith

"We have a lot of fun out here," William H. Lewis, a regular "patron" of Carter Jones Park at Twenty-eighth and Bainbridge Streets in South Richmond, told a visitor as he tied raffia to make a cradle for a hanging vase. "It is so much fun making things."

Hanging vases, such as the one which William and some of the other boys and girls were making, are painted pickle or mayonnaise jars, suspended in cradles of colored raffia.

When the visitor arrived at the park house, several groups of boys were working like the proverbial beavers, tracing patterns on plyboard, cutting them out with jig saws, and polishing the edges. A piece of plyboard which was eight or 10 feet long when the morning started was fast disappearing as the forenoon drew to a close.

From it were coming parts for small what-nots, bird houses and various ornaments. After the parts are put together, the articles are stained and shellacked. Some of the small what-nots are shaped like musical notes and maple leaves. Some of the wall ornaments are horses' heads. Weaving is another of the handwork projects.

The youngsters get points for each article they complete. The and work cannot be taken home until after it has been displayed in the exhibition on play day, held in August. This is the day of the annual community fair.

"At night we come here and dance and play games," William continued. "They teach us how to square dance. The big people dance, too."

Mrs. Mary M. Brooks, playground director, who teaches the square dancing and calls the figures, organized the "Flying Squadron" of square dancers last Summer, a group that took part in the Tobacco Festival in the Fall. Recently this group performed on the Old Dominion Barn Dance program. There are square, popular, and folk dancing at the park, with square dancing every night.

All the instruments in the rhythm band were made by the children who play them.

Among the games that are popular here are baseball, volleyball, shuffle board and box hockey. No less popular than the games in the large wading pool. In the Fall, skating and football are the principal attractions.

A spring in the park furnishes excellent drinking water. Many people bring jugs and fill them for home use.

The 12-acre park is named for Carter Jones, the member of the City Council from Madison Ward who was the author of the resolution to take over the Fonticello Springs property from the Taylor estate and make a park of it. The resolution was approved by the Council May 16, 1924, and the petition for the acquisition was filed in Hustings Court, Part II, Oct. 27, 1924. Four years later the property was obtained by the city. The Taylor homestead, located in or near the present traffic circle, was pulled down in 1934.

Many trees, including hollies, and ivy whose growth indicate that they have adorned the property for many decades, add much of beauty and interest to the place.