The Tumultuous History of Cony Park

The Tumultuous History of Cony Park. . , It is here that a portion of the original Cony Park was located, at the former site of Cony Farm, which extended from Broad Cove to Deep Cove at the entrance of Shackford Head. The farm remained in the family until the last member, Samuel Cony, died in 1895. The old federal style Cony house which overlooked Broad Cove above Cony Beach was eventually torn down. Throughout the late 19th and early part of the 20th century, this spot was already a popular Sunday afternoon gathering place for local residents who enjoyed games, picnics and public cookouts., In the early 1920s... , the Cony heirs wanted to donate the old farm land to Eastport so that it could be used by the public as a park. However, at the time Eastport was looking to expand the cemetery, and the city council thought the old farm would be a good location. The Cony heirs didn't like the idea, and withdrew their offer., In the early 1930s... , at the time of the Great Depression, the heirs once again offered the old farm to Eastport as a park. This time, the city council accepted. Soon after, the W.P.A.() built a baseball field, a tennis court and a playground as well as campsites and fire pits for overnight visitors. Cony Park became very popular, and was used throughout the 1930s until the early part of World War II., In 1943-1944... , the U.S. Navy needed land for a seaplane base and the Deep Cove side of Cony Park was chosen., When the war ended, the navy returned the land to Eastport. Unfortunately, Cony Park suffered from neglect during wartime and was forgotten., Around 1947... , the city council was looking for a location for a new open air dump. The site of Cony Park was selected because it was not being sufficiently used and was remote., The open air dump that once stood here (c. 1970), The Eastport city dump was used until the mid to late 1970s, when the state of Maine banned all open air dumps., A small section of the popular Cony Park in the mid 1930s. Note the campsites and the tall swing sets, the 3-masted schooner in the background, and further back, the bow and gumvale of a half-submerged wreck., Finally, in 2016, the City of Eastport invested over $250,000 to remediate the site and turned it back into a park. Enjoy!, () The Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) was an ambitious employment and infrastructure program created by President Roosevelt in 1935, during the bleakest years of the Great Depression. Over its eight years of existence, the W.P.A. put roughly 8.5 million Americans to work.,