The public is invited to participate in a free ‘Hike Through History’ event sponsored by the Biddeford Historical Society from 9 to 10:30 a.m. Saturday, July 27 at Clifford Park to learn about the 140-acre park and its revered place in Biddeford history. ED PIERCE/Journal Tribune

BIDDEFORD — Thousands drive by its majestic iron gates every day without knowing what actually lies within Clifford Park, a sprawling 140-acre wooded recreational site steeped in history and located in the heart of Biddeford on Pool Street.

But on Saturday, July 27, the public is invited to participate in a free “Hike Through History” from 9 to 10:30 a.m. at Clifford Park to learn about this urban respite. The event is sponsored by the Biddeford Historical Society and designed to showcase the facility’s link to generations past and its revered place in the city’s history.

“This moderate hike will highlight the park’s quarrying past, and its use by the city throughout the early 20th century when bands played to Sunday crowds,” said Catherine Glynn of the Friends of Clifford Park. “Learn about the Clifford family, and how they made it possible for the city to obtain this forested gem within the city’s urban center, all while enjoying a walk in the park.”

Dana Peck, president of the Biddeford Historical Society will lead the hike and he says that the history of Clifford Park is almost as interesting as a trip there to explore everything the park has to offer.

“Throughout the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s, Clifford Park was one of the few family recreational areas in the city,” Peck said. “The popularity declined as many families owned automobiles and spent their leisure time on the road. However, good things have a life of their own and now Clifford Park is again a family recreational area.”

Opened in 1896, Clifford Park was a gift to the city of Biddeford from the Clifford Family, who only asked that a perpetual sign be placed on the property identifying the park in their memory.

Over time, the park became a popular spot for generations of mill laborers, whose families gathered there on weekends following long and punishing work weeks. At the zenith of its popularity from the late 1890s through the 1920s, Clifford Park featured a performance grandstand and at least two meticulously maintained baseball fields, but by the 1940s, the venue’s popularity had diminished some and the city removed its deteriorating attractions with the space they once stood on eventually reclaimed by the natural landscape.

Peck said that besides recreation, the park also served as the springboard for some of the most legendary building projects in American history. The park contains old quarry roads that mined granite for constructing both the Lincoln Memorial and the Brooklyn Bridge and according to Peck, schooners would anchor on the Saco River along Decary Road to wait for  shipments of massive granite stones hauled from Clifford Park that they would transport to destinations across the country.

“Historically Clifford Park and the granite quarry network provided jobs for over 500 workers a year from 1830 to 1930,” he said. “The granite mined from the quarries was used for the Pepperell Mills, Fort Gorges in Portland, St. Joseph Church, the Brooklyn Bridge, the Lincoln Memorial, the breakwaters of the Saco River and many others sites and structures. Signs of the industry are still visible in the park.  All this from Biddeford, Maine.”

Following World War II, many families in Biddeford came to attend live music concerts offered almost every summertime weekend at Clifford Park and Peck said that currently there is a resurgence to bring music back to Clifford Park like days of old with Painchaud’s Band concert.

“The Biddeford Alumni Band has started playing  summer concerts this year and raising funds to recreate a band stand for future summer performances,” he said.

Early settlers of Biddeford like the Jordan Family and the Dean Family are buried in family cemeteries on park grounds.

“These cemeteries are the resting place for many of the early inhabitants of the city from the mid 1700s to the early 1800s,” Peck said. “The families were some of the earliest doctors, sea captains, industrialists, and farmers. There are 28 people resting there.”

Today’s Clifford Park is a multi-purpose recreational facility with tennis and pickleball courts; a playground; 22 miles of walking and biking trails; basketball courts; a skateboard park; picnic areas and grills; horseshoe pits; seasonal restrooms; and snowshoe and cross country ski trails.

Glynn first discovered the park after moving to the area several years ago.

“We had no idea there was such a large trail system in Biddeford,” said Glynn, who is a park steward and co-founder of Friends of Clifford Park and was one of the primary organizers of a fundraising effort to install a new gate in 2016 at the park.

The Friends of Clifford Park organization has initiated a program of Rangers who travel the park on a regular basis to maintain the family-friendly atmosphere and Glynn said the public can help by enjoying the park and making it a great destination for all.

Peck said that the “Hike Through History” event is free, but donations are suggested and will be used for future historical society programs. Participants should bring sturdy footwear, water, and bug repellent.

— Executive Editor Ed Pierce can be reached at 282-1535 or by email at editor@journaltribune.com

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