Important Park Information

Veterans Park today is a sea of trimmed green grass, and serves as a gathering spot for the community. The park includes volleyball and basketball courts, softball/soccer fields and playgrounds. Whether they be organized leagues, or families enjoying the facilities and just being outdoors, users of the park can find something for everyone.

History

War Veterans Memorial Park is one of Tisbury’s largest and most prized parks. Veteran’s Park was the brainchild of American Legion Post 257, having decided that “a park area of playing fields and playgrounds was more suitable than bronze and granite as a memorial to the men who died in the wars” (Vineyard Gazette, Thursday, June 12, 2014).

Prior to the mid-20th century, the land now occupied by the park was a tidal marsh. A massive volunteer effort to construct a park out of a marsh ensued. A total of 60,000 cubic yards of earth was brought in to transform the marsh and swamp into athletic fields. It took 12 years to finish building the park, and in 1964 Tisbury selectmen were presented with the deed to the park, along with $6,000 for future improvements. The war veterans committee dictated the park was to be enjoyed by Island youth.