10/08/2026
👻 Hometown Trivia Hint #7 👻
As soon as the settlement of Pine River was surveyed, a square block—No. 48---was set aside by Joseph Clapp to be used as a park in perpetuity. If ever it was abandoned as a park, it was to revert to the Clapp heirs.
Little was done to the square for years. A plank jail was built there, but the rest pf of it remained vacant. In 1875, it was described as unfenced, unshaded, unseeded, and unornamented, except for the jail, which sat on the northwest corner.
In 1876, in conjunction with the nation’s Centennial, citizens decided to beautify their unattractive park. They put an oak fence around it and planted 100 trees, mainly around the periphery.
In 1877, an unfortunate incident occurred at the jail. Sheriff George Patch put a young man named George Lott in jail overnight. That night, the jail caught fire, and Lott burned with it. No one seemed to know how the fire started, or at least no one revealed the cause if it were known.
The park with its charming stone fountain was the “traditional” park for years. Two 10-pounder field cannons that flanked the stone fountain were victims of the scrap-iron drives during World War II. Early on, City Park was designated the center of the Lower Peninsula, and a granite marker was installed to proclaim this feature.
In the 1990s, the park received benches, picnic tables, and playground equipment, reflecting the community's changing needs. In the 1990s, Christians Caring for Community built and donated a charming gazebo.
For many years, Clapp Park was decorated with large, red, illuminated bells each Christmas.
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