An aerial view of Exhibition Park (now Queen’s Park) in Tavistock in the 1930’s. Note the fall fair events at the end of Maria Street (top right). This was before the construction of the Memorial Hall. The “new” arena was built in 1923 and the old show house can be seen at the top of the photo.

Thank you, Adam Mohr.

Adam Mohr (1843 - 1913) was a local farmer just south of the village of Tavistock. In 1876 he sold part of his land for a new housing development in Tavistock. We know this area now as Adam Street and Decew Street. Some years later, in 1890, more of the farmland (7 acres) was sold, this time to the Tavistock Agricultural Society to serve as the grounds for the Fall Fair. In 1918 the property was turned over to the Village of Tavistock for a park with the proviso that the Agricultural Society would have free use of the facilities for the annual fair.

We’re not sure just when the name, Exhibition Park, was given to the property. Many of the early copies of the Tavistock Gazette were lost in a fire. Of the issues available, an item in a June 1898 paper talks about a five-mile bicycle race on the park track. No name, just the reference to the park track. In July 1901 we read for the first time of an event in Exhibition Park. “Football Tonight - Let everyone and his aunt come to the football match tonight in Exhibition Park. Berlin Rangers will play the Tavistock Marlboros. Ladies will be admitted free and are cordially invited to attend. Admission for gentlemen 10 cents: children 5 cents.”

And so started ever-so-many references to Exhibition Park. To cite just a few:

July 1903 - The Lutherans have challenged the Presbyterians for a game of football and the game will be played in Exhibition Park on Tuesday evening next at 7 o’clock.

July 1910 - The game of baseball in the Exhibition Park between the married men and single men last Friday night was, as predicted in our last issue, a hot one. There were sensational stunts and brilliant fireworks galore.

July 1914 - July 1 Dominion Day celebrations were held at Exhibition Park.

June 1922 - The Tavistock Band will render a program at the bandstand in Exhibition Park.

July 1922 - Warden Baechler announces he will hold a public garden party in Exhibition Park. A big attraction will be a free dance in the pavilion after the program.

October 1924 - Tavistock Continuation School Field Day was held at Exhibition Park.

In September of 1929 the name changed. Exhibition Park was now Queen’s Park. The name change occurred coincident with the official opening of a new archway at the entrance. The archway, from conception through construction, was spearheaded by the Tavistock Women’s Institute. That archway is now called the Queen’s Park Gates or, as we like to say, the pillars of our community.

It would be interesting to know just how the name Queen’s Park was determined. We do know that the name was coined by the Tavistock Women’s Institute. A check of their meeting minutes did not, unfortunately, provide any answers or even any clues about other names being considered or why this particular name was chosen. There is a short and simple sentence that reads “The question of selecting a suitable name for the new park was discussed at length and it was unanimously decided that it be named Queen’s Park”.

Mary, wife of King George V, was the reigning queen at the time. Mary not only belonged to the Women’s Institute in England, she was President of the chapter at Sandringham. Perhaps her character, her known good works and her association with Women’s Institute inspired the local women in Tavistock to rename the area Queen’s Park. It’s a good guess and there are likely other good guesses. We’ll never know for sure.