Friends of Brightwood Park
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  • Home
  • PRESERVE & RESTORE
    • Ecology >
      • RutgersSiteVisit
      • Ponds
      • Reforestation
    • Invasive Species
    • NativePlants
    • Trails Maintenance
    • Clean Ups
    • ScoutProjects
    • noelTaylor
  • ENJOY
    • Calendar
    • Photos
    • GreenHerons
    • Birding
    • Trail Maps
    • coyotes
  • B W Kids
    • Nature Detectives - the latest news
  • History
    • neighborhood
  • About
    • Board of Directors
    • Chuan-Chu Chou Blog
    • Perspectives on the Park
    • MemberInfo >
      • archive
    • presidentReport-Jan-21
    • Volunteer Spotlight
    • newsletters
    • PastEvents >
      • Halloween-24
      • brightwoodDay-24
      • Halloween-23
      • halloween-22
      • brightwoodDay-23
  • Shop
  • JOIN

Before it was a park, it was a neighborhood

Around 1900, the future site of Brightwood Park in Westfield was referred to as “Turkey Swamp”. It was part of the “big woods”, a wooded area bounded by Lawrence Avenue, Brightwood Avenue and the border with Scotch Plains. Between 1900 and 1905, the site was subdivided into 340 small lots by builders and real estate developers.

Slaughter-22 Bey-Bennett-21 Gamrell-20 Dunham-19 Hines-18 Webb-17 Burton-16 Webber-15 Bullock-14 Fields-13 st-Thomas-church-12 Jarvis-11 Manair-10 Cladopoulos-9 Simmons-8 mcPhaul-7 Hurlingl-6 McPhaul5 Presslow-4 Glascoe-3 Styles-2 McDede-Jr-1

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(1)  1203 Prospect Street
Annetta & Anson McDede, Jr.
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(2)  123 Liberty Street
Agnes & Archibald Stiles, Jr.
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(3)  149 Liberty Street
Margaret, Stephen Glascoe &Lloyd Patterson

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(4)  ​155 Liberty Street
Presslow Family
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(5)  157 Liberty St.
Eva & Allen McPhaul
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(6)  166 Liberty St.
Lester Hurling


Picture
(7)  176 Liberty St. 
Eva & Allen McPhaul
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​(8)  1160 Fanwood Ave.
Catherine & Henry Simmons
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(9)  ​1128 Fanwood Ave (background)
​Jordan Cladopoulos


Picture

​(10)  
​1126 Fanwood Ave (foreground)
Cordelia Belle Spencer Perry Manair
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(11)  1118 Fanwood Ave ​
​Samuel Jarvis

Picture
(12)  ​ 1112  Fanwood Ave.
St. Thomas AME Zion Church


Picture
(13)  ​208 Smith Street
Reginald & Gladys Fields
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(14)  ​168 Netherwood Ave.
Lula & Oliver Burton
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(15)  333 Randolph Place
Bullock Family

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(16)  ​168 Netherwood Avenue
Webber Family
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(17)  ​157 Netherwood Ave.
Chanie & Charles Webb
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(18)  ​156 Netherwood Ave.
Julia & Moses Hines

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(19)  ​120 Netherwood Avenue
Julia and ​Durwood Dunham
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(20)  1071 Fanwood Ave
Lulu and Clement Gambrell
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(21)  ​1063 Fanwood Avenue
Bey/Bennett Families

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(22)  ​1061 Fanwood Avenue
Eva and Frank Slaughter
         

         


Location

Brightwood Park is on the North end of Prospect Street.  Go past Franklin School and look for the entrance on the left.

What Our Members Are Saying

"I love the work you are doing at Brightwood.  Your efforts have shone a light on the essential elements of the park that we all cherish: its natural beauty and tranquility."

"I have a deep fondness for Brightwood park and would like to see it restored, remain natural and continue to be a site of passive recreation."

"I loved growing up in Brightwood Park !"


"I found Brightwood a few years ago and it's a great place to find wildlife, fish, and enjoy nature. Nice and quiet; good place to un wind and relax. Love it!!!"

​"As a resident for almost thirty years in the Brightwood area of Westfield, I am thrilled to see what is happening to improve and preserve Brightwood park for today and future generations. "


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