When I ventured out around 10 a.m. to pick the newspaper up off the sidewalk, a car stopped. I looked up, expecting to be asked directions to somewhere. A man gave me a great big smile and said, quite joyfully, “What a beautiful park!” He went on to say he had been out at ChesLen Preserve in Coatesville, and someone told him about the Park!

He remarked about the FRIENDS sign, and I filled him in a little about the tree sculpture, and how calling it FRIENDS is so appropriate for a number of reasons, including the fact that West Chester was started by the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) and the organization that raises money to improve and maintain the Park is called Friends of Marshall Square Park.

Before he went off, I found out he is from the Malvern area, and he said he has lived there for 30 years and never knew about the Park!

So nice that the word is getting out and all of the time and money invested is giving such enjoyment, and not only to West Chester residents.

~ Linda

[Linda is the FMSP Treasurer]

You spread about 40 yards of mulch, picked up sticks and raked, ate about 40 doughnuts and drank about 5 gallons of coffee and water! Marshall Square Park has never looked so good!  Nor have you

This kind of community effort doesn’t happen with best intentions alone, so pat yourself on the back and mark April 22, 2020—Earth Day’s 50th Anniversary—for another great party! And thanks to FMSP’s Eric Miller for organizing this year’s party.

Photo above: Over 20 Rotarians from the Rotary Club of West Chester (and their friends) came out to clean, mulch, and beautify Marshall Square Park in downtown West Chester. The weekend was part of a worldwide Rotarians at Work Day that saw tens of thousands of clubs doing service in over 100 nations around our globe.

It’s official!  Marshall Square Park has a Pennsylvania Champion Tree, a Blue Ash (Fraxinus, quadrangulata). Of this relatively rare species, our specimen is over 90 feet tall.

The Blue Ash, mostly native to western Ohio, is so named because early pioneers extracted a blue dye from its inner bark.

Champion trees are measured and scored by experts as the largest of their species in our state. A Longwood Gardens team measured our tree.

To see it, go to the park’s Matlack side, go down the Lafayette Street stairs and turn right. The Blue Ash is the first large tree in front of you. Look for the scaly bark, an identifying characteristic.

Beware: Our champion wears lightening protection (don’t touch).

Come join your fellow members and neighbors at 9AM to clean up the debris from this winter.

We have mulch to place around the trees to protect them. If you have a wheelbarrow, please bring it with you, or let Jeff know if we can borrow it.

The weather should be 60º and cloudy enough to protect you from the sun. Come have some fun, get some exercise, and do a good deed!

Please let Jeff know if you can help out.

Hope to see you then!