Founders' Park Preservation and Enhancement

The Founders' Park Preservation and Enhancement Project started one and a half years ago and is a project of the mendon Land Use Committee. This project involves improving the one-acre Founders' Park by landscaping it with mostly native plants. The historical signs and Founders' Monument will be the highlight of the Park. The focus is on roadside beauty, encouraging people to visit the Park and fostering a learning about the history of Mendon.

Some of the improvements include:

• A granite wall as a backdrop to the Founders' monument
• Granite benches
• Refurbishing the Community Events sign
• Night Landscape lighting
• An arbor and path to welcome people entering from the Historical Museum path
• Three blue spruce trees for the traditional holiday tree lighting

Founders' Park is in a high profile site at the eastern entrance into the Town on the corner of Route 16 and Main Street. It is in the Mendon Center Historic District, which is in the National Register of Historic Places. The Park was recently designated as a heritage Landscape by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation.

Founders' Park has stories to tell. The Park was the site of the first three Mendon meetinghouses, the first one being built in 1668. In 1775 it was the site where 13 Mendon men mustered, in response to the call by Paul Revere and Benjamin Dawes, before marching off to Lesington to fight the British. The Project hopes to draw people into the park encouraging appreciation of the history of Mendon and the beauty of the trees and landscape.

The outpouring of monetary donations and in-kind support has been incredible! No money from the Mendon town budget was used in this Project. Below is a list of most of the donors. Anyone interested in making a monetary donation is assured that it would be used  to complete this project and used in future years for planting, repairs or future enhancements to the Park.

Donations are tax deductible and can be written out to the "Town of Mendon", accompanied by a note stating that the donation is for the "Founders' Park Preservation and Enhancement Project". The address is: Land Use Committee, PO Box #2, Mendon, MA 01756.

For more information call 508-473-2634

Below are the people, businesses and committees who made this project a reality.

Monetary Donations:
John and Ute Gannett
Mendon Imperial Chrysler
Milford National Bank and Trust Company
Dan and Shirley Barnes
Dean Bank
Clarence and Betty Phipps
Frances E. Scott

Grant:
Department of Conservation and Recreation

In-Kind Donations:
Bartlett Tree Service
BISCO Irrigation
Carlton Patrick
CRF Maintenance Services
Eric Peterson
Fino Family
Fred Pironti
Greener Acres
Kevin Flemming
Kimball's Sand and Gravel
Lightscapes by Design
Mendon Greenhouse
Nick Schofield
Ralph Williams Landscape design
Signs Plus
Steve Parent
Stone Meadow Design

Town:
Highway Department
Land Use Committee
Mendon Historical Commission
Mendon Historical Society
Parks Commissioners
Selectmen