Memorial Park: The Centre of Town

Memorial Park: The Centre of Town. . , Memorial Park is the heart of Downtown Brighton. Used in all seasons, residents and visitors alike gather in this space for concerts, movies, special events, parades, and many community celebrations., During World War I, before it was 'Memorial Park, grieving mothers in the area placed fieldstones in a pile in memory of their loved ones lost in the war on the west side of the property. After the war ended, the Legion began in Brighton and one of their first projects was to raise funds to create a cenotaph. The cenotaph was built in 1923 on the land donated to the "Village of Brighton" by Ida Lockwood. It was dedicated in 1927 by Sir Arthur Currie in front of 5,000 residents. In 2012, the completion of the "War and Peace Keeping Memorial" by the Legion in conjunction with the Municipality became the most recent version of the community's cenotaph. Names of both Brightonians, and loved ones of Brighton residents who served, are inscribed on bricks that make up the 'Walkway of Remembrance', and, the 'Promenade of Valour', which surrounds the base of the Memorial., Until the 1970s, the land along the east side of this property was home to the Brighton Town Hall. The land was purchased in 1884 from the Proctor Family for $1000 with the building completed in 1885. The ground floor of the Town Hall contained council meeting rooms, a court, and a jail. There was a fire hall located at the north end. The upper level, called the Opera House, provided a large, fancy theatre with a stage and dance floor where many traveling theatrical groups [performed] during the 1940s., On July 13th, 1973, the Town Hall was destroyed by a tornado. There were no injuries reported. The bell from the original Town Hall has been refurbished and now stands on the southeast corner of the park to commemorate the event., Following the destruction of the Town Hall, a gazebo was built in the early 2000s. This structure has since been replaced by the new bandshell which was completed in 2019 and hosts a summer concert series, movie nights and other celebrations., [Photo captions, left to right, read] , . A makeshift cenotaph was created during World War I by local mothers., . Brighton's first "offical" [sic] cenotaph was erected in 1923 on the west side of today's Memorial Park., . The War and Peace Keeping Memorial was completed in 2012., . A watercolour painted by B. Milne depicting the original Town Hall., . The tornado that destroyed the Town Hall did considerable damage to the Downtown., . The Memorial Park Bandshell and War and Peace Keeping Memorial in 2023.,