Bantam River Park gets a new sign

Jani and Gary work together on the Bantam Historical Society sign which is displayed in the Bantam River Park

On July 10, 1989, a freak tornado destroyed Bantam’s Borough Hall and the Methodist Church. The Borough Hall was rebuilt soon after, but the lot where the church stood remained empty for years. In 2009, under the auspices of the Bantam Historical Society (BHS) and it’s president, Dick Sheldon. the lot was developed into a public park. Jani and her dad, Bill Garrison, were instrumental in creating this park for Bantam. To this day, Jani is the primary caretaker of the gardens there, and members of the BHS have pitched in on the many projects that have made the park a success.

In 2012, BHS members contributed information for the first sign, which illustrated the history of the park’s site, explaining its place in town history. Jani headed up the project and asked Gary to design the sign and render the graphics.

The 2012 Sign

In 2019, the Bantam Historical Society voted to purchase a “doctor’s buggy” that was built by the Flynn & Doyle Company of Bantam near the end of the 19th century. The company operated a sprawling factory complex that occupied much of south side of the road, including the current Bantam River Park. They also decided to purchase a building to house the buggy.

The Bantam Historical Society voted to develop a new interpretive sign about the company that built the buggy. BHS members contributed photos and text; Jani headed up the project; Gary designed the finished product and rendered the graphics.

BANTAM RIVER PARK SLIDESHOW

Future projects for the park include adding a sculpture and building access to the Bantam Bread parking lot, which promises to help the parking problem and traffic associated with the bread company, while drawing more people to the park. Stay tuned….