In 1868, the city of Fall River, Massachusetts purchased a section of farmland, known then as Ruggles Grove. Originally lush with trees, by the turn of the century many of those trees were gone and the land was looking worse for wear. By 1901, Fall River had established it’s Parks Commission, and with $182,000 (over $6 million today) they hired Olmsted Brothers to design their parks.
John Charles and Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. were hired to redesign Ruggles Park, right in the middle of a working-class neighborhood by tenements and mills. Olmsted Brothers’ design included a ball field, “little folks’ playground", and gently curving paths. They refashioned exposed ledges into a retaining wall.
Construction wasn’t always easy, with Olmsted Jr. writing to contractor Thomas J. Kelley in September 1903, sharing some choice words about Fall River Parks Superintendent Howard Lothrop, and the local workers. Regardless, Ruggles Park was built and today is a small marvel with mature and majestic oak trees planted throughout.
Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service