We are excited to inform you about the great news of Cascade Park’s eligibility for the National Register of Historic Places. In a 10 June letter from Elizabeth Rairigh, Chief of the Preservation Services Division of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC), the State Historic Preservation Office reaffirmed their 2000 evaluation of the park as eligible for the National Register of Historic Places.
The National Register of Historic Places is, at its core, an honorific designation for sites across the United States. Sites listed on the National Register are evaluated based on one or more of the following criteria: the property… (A) contributes to a major event in American history, (B) associates with a significant person in American past, (C) possesses distinctive architectural significance or artistic value, or (D) has or may yield itself to prehistoric or historic archaeological significance.
Within PHMC’s determination, they marked the period of significance starting with Col. Levi C. Brinton and his 1891 Brinton Park—thus marking it as the one of the oldest trolley parks in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania—tied with Highland Park (York, Pa.). Brinton’s park also predates Lakemont, Waldemere and Kennywood Parks.
The ongoing care and preservation work by the New Castle Mayor, Chris Frye, New Castle City Council, and New Castle Public Works and Parks & Recreation Offices, under the direction of Brian Heichel, have preserved this historic park for our community. Now, is the opportunity to recognize Cascade Park on a national level through this listing.
For more information please go to phhist.com/cascade.
