This past week was an important and in some ways wondrous weekend in Summit Hill, even though for many of us who volunteer it was also quite tiring. I had the honor of being part of the program to rededicate Summit Hill's Ludlow Memorial Park.

As a former president of the Summit Hill Historical Society, my friend and colleague Dr. Lou Vermillion asked if I would give a brief history of the park. The ladies in the society emphasized the brief part good-humoredly because they all know how much I love to talk about our little community.As I sat there for the first time in a while, I was a little jittery. It was an important event, and here I was. I thought back to a photograph the society had included in the program about the original dedication.In 1914, there over 5,000 people attending from throughout the entire Panther Valley. I know we were wondering and hoping for at least 25 people. In this day and age, it is difficult to draw interest in these types of community milestones.As the program started, we were gratified and pleased to see over 100 people turn out to remember our forefathers and the work they started that we have continued.The story of the park is quite interesting, at least to me. In the early 1800s the Lehigh Coal Company needed a place to store and switch in and out the rail cars for the railroads that ran through the borough. This area was just west of the main switchback track used to haul the coal down the hill to Jim Thorpe.The rail yard was used throughout the 1800s until 1870s when operations were moved to Lansford after the Hauto tunnel was blasted. It was more economical to ship the coal through the tunnel to Jim Thorpe instead of using the Switchback. Around that time in the mid-1870s, the rail yard was vacated in Summit Hill.On the evening of Dec. 2, 1871, the rail yard became the scene of an assassination that would eventually be responsible for the hangings of Molly Maguire conspirators Alec Campbell and Thomas Fisher.Mine superintendent Morgan Powell had just left the company store and was about to cross the yard to his house on Holland Street when two assailants rounded the corner and shot him in the chest, then ran for the stripping pit on the west side of town. Powell stumbled and fell in the yard, where he was found and carried back to the store. Two days later he passed away.As the 20th century got into full swing, the ET Conner Post 177 of the Grand Army of the Republic comprising local Union veterans of the Civil War wanted to erect a flagpole they deemed the "Liberty Pole" in memory of the local veterans who answered President Abraham Lincoln's call to serve in the Army. They negotiated with the LC&N company through Superintendent Edwin Ludlow and received permission in 1912.The town was motivated by the GAR's action and decided that a monument should be commissioned for the new park, so residents founded the Summit Hill Improvement society to raise money for the monument.During this two-year span, the town raised funds to help pay for the monument and the park The monument itself was one of two that were commissioned by towns, one being Summit Hill and one in neighboring New Jersey from metal sculptor Jules Berchem in Chicago. The monument and park were slated to be dedicated on July 4, 1914.Two things occurred before the dedication unrelated to each other but interesting. First, the GAR Post was upset with the town's planning of the park and memorial. As a result, they penned a letter to the borough announcing that they were displeased and outlined several reasons.They informed the borough the GAR Post and its members would not be participating in the dedication. Second, the monument was created in three parts, the sculpture, a midsection and the base. A minor scandal occurred when the town learned the midsection would not arrive in time for Independence Day dedication.On that July 4, over 5,000 people came to the park to see the dedication. The soldier sat on the base, and a cloth bunting was added to cover the awkward seam. The dedication went well, but due to the missing middle, the town planned a rededication for later in the year. Finally on Sept. 5, 1914, the monument was completed and a rededication was held to accept the soldier.The Sons of the Union Veterans of the Civil War decided they also wanted to contribute to the monument, so they arranged to receive two Napoleon cannons to adorn either side of the monument. In 1915, they arrived and were added with some ceremony to the existing monument. Both the monument and original cannons stand today.Throughout the 20th century, more memorials and monuments were added in honor or in memory of veterans in all wars including the World Wars, Korea and Vietnam. Besides war memorials, the park also contains the original bell from the Lincoln School which stood on Market Street.It was added in 1989 for the borough's centennial celebration and is rung every year to begin the Memorial Day parade. A gazebo was also added in the 1990s by the Summit Hill Business and Professional Organization.During the program, I thought about how lucky we all are to be here to participate in this milestone. Many never get to step into history like this, but on Saturday over 100 people walked right into our history as we rededicated our park and monument.Happy birthday, Ludlow Park and God bless America. Long may our republic reign.Till next time …