Thomas Nugent and Nugent’s Park

Nugent’s Park is a very small, little-known park in Ontario on Lemon Avenue, one block south of Holt Boulevard and just to the south of the Ontario Museum of History & Art. It is the oldest park in the city and is home to six horse courts that are popular with local residents as well as veteran horseshoe players. Despite its lack of familiarity, the park has a fascinating history.

The park is the namesake of Thomas Nugent who was born in Prince Edward County, Ontario, Canada on March 18, 1812. Nugent grew up on his family’s farm where he remained for 40 years, taking care of his parents and younger brothers and sisters.

In 1852, at the age of 40, he bought a farm in Belmont, Ontario, Canada and took up residence there. He cleared the farmland and raised a family of eight sons and a daughter, taking care that all were educated. He also helped his children start businesses. His generosity extended to the town, where he built a schoolhouse and donated land to build the Episcopal, Presbyterian and Methodist churches.

Nugent sold the farm in Belmont and moved to London, Ontario, Canada for five years. He relocated one more time, to Ontario, California around 1886. He purchased an orange grove and became a successful orange rancher. Still the philanthropist, Nugent paid for a memorial window in the newly-constructed Westminster Presbyterian Church building and purchased a large tract of land (three lots) along the Southern Pacific Railroad tracks. He donated the land to the city for park and recreation purposes on May 10, 1895.

The Ontario Observer issue of May 18, 1895 praised Nugent’s donation, noting that “Nugent Park will soon become a beautiful memorial to the donor – one that will remain as long as the earth, and longer than any of marble or bronze now standing in the world”. The park was completed one month before Nugent’s death on July 22, 1895. (Thomas Nugent is buried in London, Middlesex County, Ontario, Canada.)

However, it was only a few years later before city officials tried to negotiate with his descendants, asking for permission to move his land donation to another part of town. The city wanted to use the site, so close to the center of Ontario, for other purposes. The trade never happened,

According to the Ontario Record of July 18, 1900, the city began installing landscaping and a graveled walkway at the park. Meanwhile, the new Spanish Colonial City Hall building was built adjacent to the park with landscaping, a small bandstand and all of Nugent’s land donation. The whole place got a new name: City Hall Park.

The park played a solemn June on June 27, 1921 when a memorial service held there attracted thousands who gathered to honor the arrival from Europe of the body of Ontario soldier Ralph T. Kingery, the first Californian killed in World War I.

Horseshoe pitching, roque courts and chess and checker nooks were added to the park after a plan to move those activities to the median of Euclid Avenue was turned down. The Ontario Record  of October 26, 1928 said the city planned to knock down the band shell at the park and move it to the median.

When ground was broken for a new $80,000 City Hall building on February 6, 1936, the Works Progress Administration forced the removal of several old camphor trees and a large amount of space from City Hall Park. In 1951, a 50-foot fir tree on the edge of the park was removed to add three more parking spaces for City Hall, noted the San Bernardino Sun of May 2, 1951.

Another part of Nugent’s donation in 1955 when the city wanted to take more of the land for a new wing of City Hall and parking. The city managed to work out an agreement with Nugent’s grandson allowing the reduction of the park land, said the San Bernardino Sun of January 30, 1955.

In 1993, Thomas Nugent’s great-great-granddaughter Susan Adame asked Ontario officials “What is Nugent Park?” Adame had come to Ontario searching for her great-grandfather’s park. After a number of efforts by the Nugent family, the city held a rededication ceremony on May 8, 1998 that was attended by Thomas Nugent’s great-granddaughter Frances Rankin, his great-great granddaughter susan Adame, and great-great grandson Alex Adame. After the celebration, Susan Adame said, “Part of the land is a parking lot and I was disappointed by that. But that’s OK. The residents of Ontario have part of their history back.”