Page 5 - April - June, 2017 CityLine

Historic Downtown Litchfield Park

Surrounding the roundabout in downtown Litchfield Park are four sectors that provide the setting
for the historic district of the town. While few of the buildings are the same as when Paul Litchfield
walked the area, the purpose of those four sections has stayed largely the same. The Litchfield Park
Historical Society has published a full-color ‘walking tour’ booklet of Historic Downtown Litchfield

Park in honor of Litchfield Park’s Centennial.

This walking tour is prefaced with a brief description of the three evolutions of the town’s history:
first as a company town (1917-1959), then an American new town (1964-1986), and finally, today’s
current city (1987 to present). Each site shows at least one photo from the past, a current photo, and
a description of the history of each area. Beginning in the Fireplace Room of The Wigwam, the
self-guided tour takes you to fourteen more sights in the downtown area: the wooden arch at The
Wigwam, St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Mission, Litchfield Park Elementary School, the Gazebo,
the Flagpole, the World War II Memorial, the Rec Center, the Library, the Professional Building, City Hall, The Park Café, the Blu
Sushi restaurant, The Church at Litchfield Park, and the Boy Scout Lodge.

A number of the sites have been re-purposed over the years. The Southwest Cotton Co./Goodyear Farms office building is now City
Hall. The general store has been turned into The Park Café and the drugstore is now host to the Blu Sushi restaurant. The World War II
Memorial has been rebuilt, as have the Litchfield Park Elementary School and the wooden arch at The Wigwam. However, some sites
would still be recognizable to Paul Litchfield, if he were here today. While the Catholic Mission has evolved into the huge St. Thomas
Aquinas Catholic Church on Thomas Road, the small mission building still stands awaiting its restoration; and although the interior
has been redecorated over the years, the walls, windows, and doors of the Fireplace Room at The Wigwam have remained. In addition,
the nave of The Church at Litchfield Park is original; and Litchfield would undoubtedly be pleased to see his palm trees standing tall
and strong after a century of growth. New to Paul Litchfield would be the Rec Center and the Professional Building. He would also
find that a public library named in honor of his wife, Florence, has been built on the site of La Placita, and that a gazebo has replaced
the old Community Hall.

But what would please Paul Litchfield most would be to see the Boy Scout Lodge just as he left it when he dedicated it in 1954. Believed
to be the oldest continually operating Boy Scout Lodge in the country, the scout leaders from this lodge have produced over 200 Eagle
Scouts–young boys learning to become men who live respecting honor and truth. Paul Litchfield said, “I have sometimes thought … that
if every nation had utilized the basic values of scouting as America has done …, and boys everywhere had grown up with these common ideals, world
peace and understanding might not be the impossible goal it often seems now. The brotherhood of man starts with the brotherhood of boys.” He then
added this thought, “The future of America is not dependent on its wealth and resources, but on the character of its people.” Maybe this Centennial
year it would be worth our while to reflect on the words of our predecessors.

The booklet is available at the Litchfield Park Historical Society and MUSEUM, 13912 West Camelback Road. Hours: Wednesdays,
Thursdays, and Fridays 10am-4pm and by appointment. FREE admission.

Memorial Day Ceremony Holiday Oficf e Closures City
Hall, Magistrate Court &
Monday, May 29, 2017, 7am, WWII Memorial
Memorial Day
The City of Litchfield Park will be remembering the men and women
who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces with a Monday, May 29, 2017
Memorial Day Ceremony on Monday, May 29, 2017, at 7am. The
tribute will take place in front of the World War II Memorial on the 4th of July
west side of Litchfield Elementary School, 255 E. Wigwam Blvd.,
Litchfield Park. The event will include the placing of floral tributes Tuesday, July 4, 2017
at the memorial, a prayer and moment of silence and the playing of
Taps in honor of the brave men and women who died while serving Recreation Center
our country. The commemoration is expected to last approximately
30 minutes and is open to the public. Parking will be available in the Memorial Day
south parking lot of the school. For more information, please contact
Interim City Manager Sonny Culbreth at 623-935-5033. Monday, May 29, 2017 • Open 10am-5pm

litchfield-park.org 4th of July “Splash Bash”

Tuesday, July 4, 2017 • Open 10am-5pm

Apr-Jun 2017 Issue | 5