The Railway City (continued from page 24)
The railway city is also known for its over 40 parks and many kilometers of trails that have been rooted in the railway history. Pinafore Park was established in 1903 by the St. Thomas Street Railway Company in the hopes that it would encourage passenger traffic as a newly established recreational activity. Pinafore Park is a 120-acre regional park located in the south end of the city that has six pavilions and a bandshell and 2 lakes! Pinafore hosts many community events through the year including Canada Day, Fathers Day Car Show, and an incredibly popular Senior’s Picnic. The playground was upgraded in the spring of 2021 and offers one of the 3 City splashpads directly next to it to cool off on a hot summer’s day.
citizens of the city and district. Once a tangled willow swamp, the PUC developed beautiful water gardens to the north of the plant beginning in 1932. These gardens continue to be maintained by the Parks Department staff.
1Passsword Park is the City’s newest regional park boasting 34 soccer fields on 67 acres and is home to the communities first artificial turf field. The recreation area includes a fully accessible playground, a splashpad and public Wi-Fi. A copper roofed pavilion can host gatherings and the basketball courts attract recreational play and club play for local basketball players. Funds raised from a local donor and through municipal funding turned a north end open field into a large community hub that serves soccer, football, and field hockey teams from all over the county from March right through November.
Waterworks Park is a 90-acre regional park, established on July 3, 1890, and is located on the north end of the city. This park is popular for the lily ponds and bridges where people can enjoy sightings of frogs and turtles n a shady setting through the summer, along with a playground and splash pad. As the first publicly owned park in St. Thomas, Waterworks Park began as a small area around the Public Utilities Commission's, (PUC), pumping station and water treatment plant. About twenty-five acres that were not needed for waterworks purposes were retained as a place of recreation for the
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Ontario Parks Association
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