Updating a town green

Challenge is to keep historical charms

A view of Lakenham Green from early in the 20th century. (Peter Jackson/Park Planning Associates)

North Carver residents want to honor the historic Lakenham Green while also breathing life into its future. Doing that may involve reorienting the stone honoring a World War II casualty to make it a centerpiece of a new memorial garden.

Lakenham Green is the center of a historic district recognizing the town's earliest settlement, which dates to 1637. Bounded by roads, principally by Plymouth Street (known locally as the old route 44) and Green Street, the green is about a half acre in area and 240 feet long on the Green Street side. Today the traditional New England green, where farmers once grazed animals and Colonial militia performed drills, is a grassy area with some trees and a flagpole.

North Carver residents want to preserve the green's historic character but would like to see it spruced up and put to more uses, according to Jack Hunter, the town's director of planning and development. "They wanted more civic use out of it," Hunter said after a community forum last month to draw ideas and comments from residents. The space is now used only for a Memorial Day service and Christmas decorations.

"We want people to know it's there, pay attention to it and enjoy it," said Jan Tracey, the chairwoman of the Lakenham Green Preservation Committee.

The green is also home to three significant markers. One is a memorial stone dedicated in 1946 honoring native son Nelson Garnett, a World War II Air Force bombardier, who died when his plane was shot down over Germany in 1944. Another stone was laid in 1976 by the town's Bicentennial Commission noting the 200th anniversary of the nation's founding. The third is a granite boulder dating from the 18th or 19th century with a bronze plaque noting the distances to Middleborough (7 miles) and Plymouth (8 miles).

To make the green a more usable space, the town's consultant has suggested installing some benches and planting a garden near the Garnett memorial stone. The stone would be turned to face the interior of the green rather than the street, to make it the focal point for the garden.

But, out of respect, the town doesn't want to reorient the memorial without the approval of the Garnett family, Tracey said. A descendant has told the committee she would contact other family members to inform them of the proposal.

Recently retired from her job with Harbor One Credit Union, Tracey said she "got tired of looking at the green" the way it was. The lawn was mowed, but some shrubs were overgrown, and no changes had been made for many years. "We want to make it a more comfortable place to stop and sit a while," she said.

The changes will preserve the green's character, Tracey said. "We're not going to make this into any kind of carnival act."

Tracey headed the effort to win $16,000 in Community Preservation Act funds from Town Meeting. A park planning consultant was hired to research the green's history and propose an improvement plan.

The green is "historic and beautiful," said landscape architect Peter Jackson of Park Planning Associates in Milton, but it has stayed the same for two centuries. The balance between preservation and an upgrade is the challenge he faces in proposing changes.

"Most residents didn't want to see a lot of changes," Jackson said after the recent community meeting. "They want to see it maintained better. They like its historic character."

But they also want ways to improve it and create more activity there, he said. On his drawing board so far is a plan inspired by historic photos showing beautiful elm trees planted along the green's perimeter. The town could replant some elms and other trees, he said, and plant some native perennials in a memorial garden.

Other possibilities include installing irrigation for better maintenance and building a gazebo as an activity center. "We found an old map from 1907 with the word bandstand," Jackson said, but no photos of a bandstand have emerged. A gazebo could become a place to host a picnic or a modest concert or a speaker, he said.

Other suggestions from residents include a farmers' market, a concert series, neighborhood picnics, and a summer arts festival. Jackson and the Lakenham committee will continue to talk to residents at two upcoming meetings, not yet scheduled: one centering on graphic design for the green and the second on a draft proposal. Tracey said the committee hopes to have a draft plan by June.

Tracey said she also expects activity to pick up on the green this year, with an Easter egg hunt in the spring and a fashion show by a nearby clothing consignment store, along with Memorial Day services.

Support for Lakenham Green has come in many forms: an anonymous gift of $5,000 and a cash donation from a local real estate agent; flowers donated by area nurseries and mulch donated and spread by a landscaper; and holiday decorations donated by a bank. The millstone from the Cole Mill, a Carver factory that once made boxes, has also been donated, Tracey said.

Robert Knox can be contacted at rc.knox@gmail.com.