Ashley Park

Ashley Park. Parks Build Community. PARKS BUILD COMMUNITY , Open space has been essential to community life throughout time. In Colonial America, and for centuries across Europe they have been called "village greens" or "commons." These open spaces belonged to everyone and were used for festivals, places to sell farm goods, and for all manner of public gatherings. Today we call these public spaces "parks." And a park, by whatever name, is a place where the community can come together, share community spirit, and have fun... and that's just how this park began. , Ashley PARK , This open space served as Bryant's "village green" as far back as the 1920s. The area was open fields where boys played baseball and the Bryant Community Fair was held. , In the 1950s Conway Ashley, Bryant's first mayor (1946 to 1954), heard the fields were to be sold. He knew how much the community valued this open space and he, along with i Dean Boswell, Sr., Leon H. Sullivan, and Glenn Rapier, bought the land and donated it to the city. It became Bryant's first park and was named for the man who saved it. , In 1958, Ashley Park hosted the city's first folk festival. Fourth of July and political events continue to be held here. Later, tennis courts, a wading pool, and a youth center were added. Bryant High School's first football games were played here and this was the home field for Bryant's first American Legion baseball team. , This land, purchased over 70 years ago, now includes city offices and modern baseball fields that continue to be a center of activity for the community.