The History of Taylor Park

When asking Millburn residents about the places that they believe to be special or unique to our town, a place always fondly mentioned is Taylor Park. Most residents familiarize themselves here at a young age, either from spending summer days at the playground or feeding ducks at the pond. Adults say they find themselves playing sports such as tennis, basketball, and baseball, and having picnics with their families on the fields.

Before it was declared a park, the 13-acres of land was home to mills along the river, such as lumber, paper and hat mills. It was eventually bought from Mrs. Elizabeth Whittingham by Mrs. John Taylor in 1923. At the time of the purchase, the land Mrs. Taylor received was free of its previous mills and tenements. She described the land in her possession as being in the center of the town, largely flat and having the west branch of the Rahway river running through the park. Mrs. Taylor hired the Shade Tree Commission to do the landscaping and planting of the park. She graciously gifted the park with its most popular attractions such as its tennis courts, swimming pond, playground and baseball diamonds. Mrs. Taylor sought to improve the town through the creation of the park, and on May 20, 1924 the historical society honored Mrs. Taylor’s contribution to the park and declared May 20, 1924 the date of its official establishment.

The park’s history is not limited to its formation by Mrs. Taylor. Old letters stemming from World War II suggest that the women would host doll contests, croquet tournaments and other activities here to keep busy while their husbands were at war. The women of the park describe it as being a place for the “voluminous” sporting life of Millburn. During the 1950s, the park would serve as a place for trout fishing competitions; one particular incident in 1957 caused most of the trout to die from a water poisoning incident.

The park during the 1900s was a place for people to share information and learn from other members of the town. For example, on January 19th 1997, the Millburn-Short Hills Historical Society held its usual winter meeting where Joseph De Caro gave a talk on New Jersey’s role in the revolutionary war. In addition, there are records of other informational activities for the residents found in the town’s newspaper such as “A Lecture on the Fine Art of Victorian Architecture” by Sandy Brown, or Arlene Palmer’s lecture on American glass and its heritage in the 1970s. Standing at the center of the park, the Bauer Community Center today is a place that hosts recreational activities such as tai-chi and art classes, and as well as numerous community events.

It is evident that the park has served numerous important purposes since its days of housing mills. The many activities and historical events performed at the park serve to highlight the closeness and diversity of our town, and allow for everyone to cherish and enjoy the vision that Mrs. Taylor created.