Washington Square Park
Washington Square Park in Rochester, New York
Washington Square Park (Rochester, New York) is located in New York
Washington Square Park (Rochester, New York)
Location of Washington Square Park within New York state
TypeUrban park
Coordinates43°09′12″N 77°36′19″W / 43.1534°N 77.6053°W / 43.1534; -77.6053
Created1817 (1817)
Operated byMonroe County
OpenAll year

Washington Square Park is an urban park in Rochester, New York. It contains the Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument, erected in 1892.[1]

History

It was formerly known as Johnson's Square.[2] The land for the park was donated to the public by Elisha Johnson in 1817.[3]

On 1 August 1848, it was the site of a public address by Frederick Douglass.[4] Douglass also spoke there in 1852.[2]

In 1892, U.S. President Benjamin Harrison spoke at the dedication of the Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument, without mentioning slavery, despite Frederick Douglass's presence next to the podium.[5]

Austin Steward wrote in his Twenty-Two Years a Slave, and Forty Years a Freeman that numerous Black Americans celebrated the end of slavery in New York in Johnson's Square on July 5.[6][7]

In 2017, the Washington Square Park Neighborhood Association received a $15,000 grant to develop a new Master Plan for the park.[8]

Austrian cannon

An Austrian cannon captured by the Italian army during the Battle of Vittorio Veneto in World War I was given as a gift to Rochester in 1921 by the Italian government.[9][8] The cannon was given as a symbol of the patriotism of the large Italian immigrant population in Rochester at the time.[9] At least 1,400 Rochester residents Italian descent fought in the war.[8] The cannon was restored and rededicated in 2017 in time for the centenary of World War I.[9]

References

  1. ↑ "Soldiers and Sailors Monument". Democrat and Chronicle. 2018. Retrieved 2020-07-06.
  2. 1 2 The encyclopedia of New York State. Eisenstadt, Peter R., 1954-, Moss, Laura-Eve. (1st ed.). Syracuse, N.Y.: Syracuse University Press. 2005. p. 501. ISBN 0-8156-0808-X. OCLC 57506556.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  3. ↑ Shilling, Donovan A. (2011). Rochester's remarkable past : twenty-four most unusual stories about some very unique people, places and events. [Victor, N.Y.]: Pancoast Pub. p. 66. ISBN 978-0-9821090-7-6. OCLC 729265587.
  4. ↑ Blair, William A. (2012). Journal of the Civil War Era, Summer 2012 Issue. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press. p. 190. ISBN 978-0-8078-5264-4. OCLC 795119929.
  5. ↑ "Memorial Day, 1892, when President Benjamin Harrison dedicated the Soldier's and Sailor's Monument in Washington Square Park with Frederick Douglass. And Occupy Rochester". Talker of the Town. 2016-05-30. Archived from the original on 19 January 2021. Retrieved 2020-07-06.
  6. ↑ Steward, Austin (1852). Twenty-Two Years a Slave, and Forty Years a Freeman. William Alling, Exchange Street. p. 150.
  7. ↑ Steward, Austin. "Twenty-Two Years a Slave, and Forty Years a Freeman; Embracing a Correspondence of Several Years, While President of Wilberforce Colony, London, Canada West: Electronic Edition". Retrieved 7 July 2020.
  8. 1 2 3 "News Release - City Rededicates World War I Cannon in Washington Square Park". City of Rochester. 9 November 2017. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  9. 1 2 3 Kramer, David (28 January 2018). "The Austrian cannon is back in Washington Square Park. And some Italian Rochester history". Talker of the Town. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
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