Overview
Jones Square Park, also known as Jones Square and Jones Park is situated in the Edgerton neighborhood, surrounded by Lorimer Street, Jones Avenue, Saratoga Avenue, and Plymouth Avenue.
A Closer Personal Look
I grew up in Rochester in the inner city near Brown Square Park and originally attended St. Peter and Paul's Catholic School on Brown Street up until 6th grade. When St. Pete's closed in 1972, I attended St. Augustine Catholic School on Chili Avenue for 7th grade, and then on to St. Anthony of Padua, which I attended and graduated from in the 1973-74 school year.
St. Anthony's was located near Jones Square Park, right across the street from the parish church building.
According to the Democrat and Chronicle, "Early records indicate that the city acquired the seven-acre plot of land in 1837, presumably donated by a man named Jones from New York City. By 1860, it was one of eight public squares in Rochester. When the Civil War became imminent in 1861, local Union Army volunteers used the property for military preparation until it was necessary to move to the larger county fairgrounds."
Conclusion
Each time I visited Jones Square Park it was like a tranquil reprieve and oasis of greenery amid the inner-city streets.
[Unless otherwise indicated, this article is a work of nonfiction based on actual events directly experienced by the author.]
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