In 2004 a group of concerned citizens founded the Friends of Stark Park (FSP), an organization whose mission is “to develop, revitalize, maintain and protect the heritage and recreational use of Stark Park as an historic asset of the City of Manchester.” The City of Manchester commissioned a Master Plan for Stark Park. The plan, completed by Landscape Architect Martha Lyon, was presented to the citizens of Manchester in 2005. Thanks to the efforts of the Friends, the park is now listed on the State and National Registers of Historic Places. Several additional objectives established in the Master Plan have been accomplished, including the erection of a bandstand in 2009. The bandstand was paid for entirely with private funds. This project was chosen in order to re-create a similar, but much smaller structure, present in the park’s original design. It was felt that a bandstand would bring people back to the park. This vision was confirmed by a generous memorial matching gift honoring Fred Hecker, the leader of Hecker’s Singing Orchestra of bygone days, and Alfred Hastings, a lover of music. FSP named the bandstand the Hecker*Hastings Bandstand, fulfilling the donor’s wishes.

A second project, completed in August of 2010, was the restoration and repair of the Stark statue and the unveiling of a plaque honoring General Stark. The Norwin S. and Elizabeth Bean Foundation awarded FSP a generous grant to fund all new signage in the park. The work on the statue was performed by Daedalus, Inc., a leader in monument restoration whose past projects include the Brewer Fountain in the Boston Common and the Statue of Freedom, which tops the United States Capital Building. The restoration was completed thanks to grant from the State of New Hampshire and the Ann DeNicola Trust, as well as tireless fundraising by the Friends.

The FSP will continue their work of restoring Stark Park to its former glory, thereby furthering their mission to preserve and protect the heritage of this historic Manchester site.

Stark Park occupies a 30 acre tract that was once the site of the Stark Family farm in Manchester’s north end. The park was dedicated in 1893 and along with Derryfield Park, became one of the first public parks in Manchester and a source of great pride for the City. Much of that pride stemmed from an appreciation of the role of General John Stark in the American Revolution. At the park’s geographic center is the gravesite of General John Stark, purchased by the City along with the surrounding land in 1891. The park’s original design, created by the Boston landscape gardening firm of Morton & Quimby, made the most of rolling hills and views of the Merrimack River and was influenced by the work of Frederick Law Olmstead. Several other features appeared in the park during its first decades. The City paved the roadways with Salem crushed stone and lined each with granite edge stones. Benches, a vase fountain, a summer house, “playing fountains”, ornamental shrubs and trees were all added, some donated by private citizens.

The Naval cannonballs, with four Dahlgren cannons, came from the Charlestown (Massachusetts) naval shipyard. In 1897, veterans of the Grand Army of the Republic planted a colonnade of American Elm trees along the north, east and south park borders. The thirteen trees on the east line represented the original thirteen states, beginning with New Hampshire on the southeast and ending with Georgia on the northeast corner. The Daughters of the American Revolution added more trees in 1904 when they planted sugar maples along the southern entrance and named the entry drive “Revolutionary Avenue.”

Toward the end of the twentieth century, a lack of maintenance and the normal course of nature conspired to mask the park’s former stature as a jewel of the city.

It is with great pleasure and delight that we inform you that we have just received notification from the Director of National Park Service that Stark Park has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

We are thrilled with this news and know that this will open many opportunities and grants to help us as we work to restore this beautiful park. Thank you all for your encouragement and support in these efforts. This is just the beginning of the Master Plan but we have made much progress and are proud of our work and the city's.

General John Stark, born in Londonderry in 1728, was New Hampshire’s foremost Revolutionary War hero and author of New Hampshire’s motto “Live free or Die. Death is not the worst of evils.”

In the spring of 1777 the outcome of the American Revolution was very much in question. A large British army in Canada began to move south along the New York side of Lake Champlain as part of a plan to cut off New England from the rest of the colonies. In early July, Fort Ticonderoga in New York was captured and nearby Mount Independence in Vermont was evacuated by the Americans. The British were now in need of the supplies and stores located in the general depot at Bennington, VT. Vermont had only recently declared its independence and now asked for assistance from New Hampshire against the invading army. With General Stark in command, 1400 men enlisted for 30 days, and departed for Bennington from Charlestown, New Hampshire.

 Upon their arrival, General Stark was given command of all militia and made plans for battle with the advancing British. On the afternoon of August 16th, the battle began and by nightfall the British were in full retreat without the supplies they so badly needed. This victory by General Stark would prove to be critical.

As the British regrouped near Saratoga, New York, many of the New Hampshire men were sick and their 30 day enlistment had expired. Nearly half of them left for home. On September 19, the day after General Stark left for home to recruit new troops, the British attempted to resume their march south. They were not able to breach the American lines and after several days both forces settled in to strengthen their position.

On October 7, the British again attacked and after heavy casualties withdrew behind newly built barricades. Their only hope was to return to Canada. It was at this point that General Stark returned with his new brigade and closed off the last escape route. On October 16 the British army of 8000 surrendered. The brilliant victory of General Stark at Bennington had set the stage for success at Saratoga and he had returned in time for the surrender that was the turning point in the Revolution.

General Stark died at the age of 94 in 1822 and is buried in the Stark Family Gravesite, along with his beloved wife “Molly” and other members of his family, in Stark Park in Manchester, NH.

In 1947, the City erected one of the Park’s most significant features, the bronze equestrian statue of General John Stark. Governor Charles H. Bartlett gifted the city funds to erect the John Stark statue to be placed in the park. The City held a design competition and the winner, sculptor Richard Reccia of Rockport, Massachusetts, received $12,000 to create the piece. It took Reccia 2 ½ years to complete the statue.
  

The Friends of Stark Park have chosen the restoration of the Stark Family Gravesite as our next big project. We are proud of the work we have done so far with the construction of our wonderful Hecker*Hastings Bandstand in 2009 and the repair and restoration of the General Stark equestrian statue, completed in August, 2010. The Stark Family Gravesite Restoration Project will be our biggest challenge yet. We are at present obtaining quotes and formulating plans and we believe the cost of this project may be close to $200,000. We are mindful that Stark Park is on the State and National Registers of Historic Places and that anything we do must be in keeping with the historic nature of the site. None of the graves will be disturbed in any way. We intend to restore and replicate the periphery of the gravesite only, with new granite corner posts, granite curbing, replacing the urn lost to vandalism long ago on General Stark’s headstone and the restoration and repair of the cast iron fencing. This project will be done in total cooperation with the City of Manchester and the State of New Hampshire. We are well aware of the economic challenges this project presents and will be applying for grants and donations from all available sources. We need to get the message out that the General and his family deserve a much better resting place. You will hear much more about this project as spring approaches and our final estimates are received. If you would like to be involved, please contact us at info@friendsofstarkpark.org.
      

Martha Lyon, Landscape Architect, consultant to the City of Manchester - Parks and Recreation Department has unveiled specific recommendations for restoring the landscape of Stark Park. The FSP has agreed that the master plan strive as much as possible to restore the landscape to the late 19^th, early 20^th century design. The recommendations address the following areas of concern:

• National Register Nomination
• Park Management Plan
• General Stark Gravesite
• General Stark Monument and Environs
• Park Entrances and Edges
• Park Roadways
• Athletic Field and Horse Meadow
• Woodland Trails
• Riverfront

Click Here to download the entire Master Plan (Adobe Acrobat PDF format)