Cumberland Square Park was long in the making

It is my good fortune to live near Cumberland Square Park.

It often serves as a retreat for me from the pressures of my usual daily activities. Sometimes, I take my writing pad there and produce historical writings such as this newspaper article.

The earliest detailed description of the land where this park is now located comes from the prolific pen of Col. John G. English, who was a son-in-law of the noted Rev. James King. He was also a first cousin to the Rev. King. Col. English was born April 30, 1807 in a small log house that stood just across Beaver Creek north of the present park.

The land north of Beaver was former Baker land then (1807) owned by John Goodson, a brother of the mother of Col. English. The land encompassing the site of the present park was then owned by the heirs of Gen. Evan Shelby.

For some unexplained reason, that area of the land had never been cleared. Col. English remembered that it was covered with a fine stand of virgin timber. He also remembered that some of the large trees had flourishing old grape vines climbing up them.

He stated that some of those vines were as big around as a man’s leg. He recalled playing there as a child, but with much caution in that the area was the habitat of numerous large snakes. For that reason, he always had the family dog with him to sniff out the snakes. He later recalled that the name of that dog was "Midnight."

In 1814, the Shelby land was bought by Col. James King who had it deeded to his son, James King II, later known as the Rev. King. Soon after this purchase, King slaves were put to work clearing that portion of the land that had not been cleared for Gen. Shelby.

King saw a chance for early profits for the land where the park is now located. At the time, there was increasing demand in the area for lumber. He had a stone dam built across Beaver Creek at a point near the present Lee Street Bridge. Below this dam he set up an improved water-powered sawmill.

As the giant trees were felled, they were sawed into choice lumber by this mill. Much of this lumber went into area buildings, and many of the extra fine pieces were used in the construction of furniture made in the King shop near the sawmill. It is known that lumber from trees cut here was used in the construction of the Gen. Francis Preston home in what we now know as the Martha Washington Inn in Abingdon, Va.

A local home in which some of this lumber was used is that of Ed and Linda Stout on Kingmill Pike in Bristol, Va.

By 1840, the sawmill and the furniture shop no longer existed. Around the site spread the great King Meadows. These extended from back of the present First Baptist Church to about Oak Street on what is now Solar Hill. A few trees were left standing in the present park for shade for cattle and the King’s servants. The meadows down below were used for beef cattle, while the upland meadows were reserved for the milk cows.

In 1852, the downtown section of the meadows was sold by the Rev. King to his son-in-law Joseph R. Anderson.

Upon the meadows was laid out the plan of the original town of Bristol, Va., that along with adjoining town of Goodsonville, north of Beaver Creek, was incorporated as the town of Goodson in 1856. It was changed again in 1890 back to Bristol.

Soon after development began on the Virginia side, a few prominent citizens led a move to have a portion reserved for a city park. The portion reserved for a park was approximately the same as what is now contained in the present Cumberland Square Park. The name was to be Meadow Square. But then as the town went into a big building boom, the area that would have been the park was laid off in business lots and sold at auction on May 10, 1876.

A century and more passed before the idea was revived again. This time, the main theme of this proposed park was to honor war veterans. The late Bud Walling had statues representing various branches of the armed services made for this park. This is now the present main feature of it.

Many locals still persist in calling it the War Memorial Park, but call it what one may, it is a grand and much enjoyed feature of our city. 

BUD PHILLIPS is a local historian and author. He can be reached at (276) 466-6435. For more about Bristol’s history, visit www.bristolhistoricalassociation.com.