HALIFAX – There is now officially a Clayton Park in Halifax’s Clayton Park neighbourhood.
The Willett Street Reserve was re-named the Mary Clayton Memorial Park on Wednesday.
Mary Clayton immigrated to Halifax in 1863 with her seven children in tow. After her husband passed away, Clayton established a second hand clothing store in her home, which then grew into a successful factory on Barrington Street. That area is now Scotia Square.
The Clayton family purchased 105 acres of land in southern Rockingham in the early 1900s. Most of that property was sold to developers in the 1950s and transformed into the area now known as Clayton Park.
The park’s renaming is an honour for Clayton’s descendents.
“It’s nice to see some recognition for a lady that went through a lot of hardship,” said great-grandson William Clayton.
“The establishment of Clayton Park in the 1960s, I think was an honour to the family. This is just another thing that is an honour for us,” he said.
Great-granddaughter Belle Watkins hopes the park re-naming prompts Clayton Park residents to learn more about the history of their neighbourhood.
“Now the residents of Clayton Park know where the name Clayton came from. They realize what an impact the Clayton family had on the City of Halifax in the early days and how industrious my great-grandmother was,” said Watkins.
“I always hoped there would be something in this area that would recognize her family.”
The park re-naming is part of the Regional Council’s recent approval of naming requests for certain city properties.
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