Let me invite you to a special place in the Town of Easton called John Ford Park. It is located just off the northern section of the Rails to Trails, with parking available in the Board of Education lot off Magnolia Street.
The park is unique because it has two distinct sections.
One is an active park with a walking track, exercise equipment, playground equipment, swings for adults, benches and restroom facilities. Residents and visitors of all ages, backgrounds and ethnicities regularly use the park. They can be seen walking, running, biking, playing ball games, flying kites and walking their dogs.
It is a multigenerational and multiethnic gathering place. This section is a well-maintained, mowed grass field.
The other section of John Ford Park is different and remarkable because it is unlike any other park in town. It offers an opportunity to walk, ride a bicycle or walk a dog in a quiet, tranquil, meadow-like setting that also provides habitat for insects, birds and other wildlife.
It is accessible by a limited number of mowed paths and is surrounded by trees. This passive part of John Ford Park is distinctive because it provides long, open vistas without interference from anything man-made. In other words, all you see is nature.
Everyone who visits seems to cherish the opportunity to be surrounded by nature in the middle of a busy town only a short distance away.
Let’s explore a little of the history of this property.
For many years, it was a farm with fields used to grow many different crops. When it came up for sale, it was purchased by RTC, and the development known as Chapel Farms was created.
Then the housing market collapsed, presenting the Town with an opportunity to purchase the property. Town leaders at the time had the foresight to do so, and it became known as RTC Park.
Over time, amenities were added to what became the active part of the park for the enjoyment of the neighborhood, Easton residents and visitors.
In 2021, Mayor Bob Willey renamed it John F. Ford Park in memory of my husband, John Ford, who served the Town of Easton for more than two decades.
Every day, John would run in the park and take our dogs for walks several times a day. Like me, and so many others, he treasured the peaceful tranquility of this unique place, where it is possible to have solitude and community at the same time.
For those seeking more active recreation, just a short walk north will take you to a wonderful skateboard park, soccer, lacrosse and baseball fields, batting cages and more. Or simply head to Idlewild Park, where you will find all kinds of activities.
We are fortunate to have such a wide variety of parks in our wonderful Town of Easton.
Please come and visit John Ford Park to see what I mean.
There is now a plan to add a disc golf course across the property. Multiple articles have been published in the Talbot Spy describing efforts by disc golf proponents to establish an 18-hole course in John Ford Park.
The proponents have also publicly stated their desire to hold fundraising tournaments. Such tournaments would change the nature of John Ford Park.
For supporters of disc golf in Easton, there may be a much better place to develop the type of course they desire: the presently undeveloped Easton Woodland Park, which is much larger than John Ford Park.
It would take time to create the desired course, but its developers would be starting with a blank canvas and would not face the same constraints found at John Ford Park.
Should Woodland Park become the new home of disc golf in Easton, it would be a win for everyone. Generations of Easton residents to come would appreciate the wisdom of the Town Council in protecting the natural gem that is John Ford Park.
Isn’t this a special public place within Easton that deserves to be preserved?
If you feel strongly that it should be protected, please contact the mayor and Town Council immediately to voice your opinion:
Thank you to everyone who cares about our town.
See you in the park.
Peggy J. Ford
Easton
16 Responses
There are many arguments to be made about the Park Board’s recommendation to destroy the JF Park meadows in support of an ill-advised disc golf course. But this article says it all. Thank you as always, Ms. Ford!
Beautiful job Peggy! That meadow is so unique and so special to so many town’s people. It will be a shame to lose that space. You are too kind not to point out how short-sighted the town officials and the Park Board have been up to this point, to not investigate other, more suitable locations for a disc golf course. This is a straight forward scenario of government entities representing the town’s people, taking all of their advice and navigation from a vendor.
While I agree with Peggy Ford that the park named after her husband should be preserved, I do not support her suggestion that our Town should consider Woodland Park as an alternative location for disc golf.
Clara Kelly
Easton
John Ford Park may well be Easton’s best-kept non-secret.
As our town grows at a rapid pace, John Ford Park offers something increasingly precious: a place of peaceful respite where we can reconnect with nature and enjoy the beauty and solace that surrounds us.
Its open meadows invite families to slow down and experience the simple wonders of the natural world—birds and bunnies, butterflies and bumblebees, and perhaps even a glimpse of a deer or two grazing in the distance. It is a place to breathe, wander, reflect, and simply be.
John Ford Park is a gem unlike anywhere else in Easton. We all deserve a place like this—a place to ponder, daydream, or simply “touch grass.”
As Peggy Ford said, please contact the Town Council as soon as possible and make your voice heard. Help us preserve this little bit of heaven in Easton for our community, our children, and generations to come.
Please preserve the tranquility of John Ford Park. Once destroyed, it won’t go back.
It seems that Woodland Park would be large enough to accommodate multiple types of venues within the space.
The Town acquired Woodland Park as a passive property – a place for quiet enjoyment of nature, walking, birdwatching, and, above all, the preservation of wildlife habitat. Replacing that vision with a championship disc golf course would fundamentally change the character of the park. Easton already has access to a disc golf course at Tuckahoe State Park. One of the Town’s few remaining passive natural areas must not be converted into an active recreational venue. The Town acquired it for passive use and that commitment must be honored.
Once destroyed, the tranquility and preservation of Woodland Park will be destroyed. Are you in favor of disc golf Ms. Perry? How many Easton residents want disc golf in any of our parks?
Thank you for this letter, Mother Nature is smiling. I’m for preserving John Ford Park just as it is. Disc golf sounds fun but I hope there is a better place for it. Protected places of beauty are so valuable, now more than ever.
I wholly agree with the need to preserve the meadow habitat at John Ford Park for the benefits it provides to park visitors and wildlife. I wholly disagree with moving disc golf to Easton Woodland Park where it would destroy the quiet, woodland habitat. Most of the new park is heavily forested and would require extensive clearing for disc golf. If disc golf is not successful, it could take decades to recover. If there must be a disc golf course, it makes far more sense is to locate it at Easton Point Park. That park is mostly mowed grass and the open space would make it much easier to build a course. This is reclaimed land and lacks the kind of natural habitats found at John Ford Park or Easton Woodland Park. It already has road access and parking.
I agree that Easton Point Park seems like a good option.
We often enjoy walks in the John Ford Park. When the park was named for him, we were pleased because he deserved this honor. We believe that he would like it to remain passive for people of all ages to enjoy.
Thank you , Peggy, for your beautiful letter. You have expressed so well in words why we need to keep John Ford Park as it is. I live right next to the park and I enjoy seeing all kinds of people enjoying its beauty and peacefulness. I’m sure that there is another place that could be used for disc golf.
I agree with all the above. Disc golf would be better off at Port St. park. Why ruin what is working. And there is a lot of wild life at Woodland Park. Slow down. If you want to work out, go to the YMCA. Learn to slow down. Nobody is giving you credit for being active. It’s ok to sit & watch the wildlife.
There is disc golf at Tuckahoe State Park which is only a 20 minute drive from Easton. It’s never crowded. Perhaps many folks aren’t aware of it.
This article raises a number of questions that the Town of Easton clearly needs to provide.
What’s missing is a clear and thorough presentation on what this Woodland Park is meant to be. Creating a disc golf park seems inconsistent with the woodland setting and potential pond that has been mentioned.
The town needs to quash these rumors and end these concerns to by sharing what they intend.
Another alternative to the suggested Woodland Park and the under- (un)utilized Easton Point Park would be a portion of the many-years abandoned golf course lands at Easton Club. I believe after foreclosure activities several years ago the lands fell into the hands of a private company that has never succeeded in bringing any of their development ideas to fruition (and has been in and out of disputes with the Town regarding failing to maintain the grounds). But this abandoned golf course land with its existing mounds presents perfect physical attributes to repurpose for disc course use. The disc course advocates would need to navigate some arrangement with the present owners of course.