STC150: Bartlett Park Wading Pool

With the hot summer days of August, this month’s posts celebrating the story of our city over time will look at some places in the city where local residents could cool off.

This post features the first wading pool in the city – located in Bartlett Park on the corner of Tasker and Seneca Streets (today 69 Haynes Avenue).

Bartlett Park was built on land donated to the City of St. Catharines by the estate of William Bartlett Burgoyne, former Mayor and City Councillor and founder of the St. Catharines Standard. He donated 1.8 acres of land to be used as a city park and playground. Bartlett Park was part of a program of supervised parks in the city in the 1920’s.

The park originally included a large wading pool with a fountain in the centre and a playground including swings, a slide, and seesaws. Today this park includes a playground and basketball court.

This photo appeared in the St. Catharines Standard on July 23, 1927, under the following headline: “A Happy Gathering at the Bartlett Wading Pool, which is the most popular hot weather resort for the kiddies in St. Catharines.”

In the background of the photo are members of the City’s Park Commission, city officials and interested citizens. (7576-N)