The following letter dated March 29, 1988 was recently presented to Delmar Town Manager Jeff Fleetwood (who shared it with the Star) to show that the Delmar Lions Club purchased the land, and cleaned it up, where State Street Park is now located in Delmar, Del.:
Dear Ed (Edward Taylor),
One of the members of the Lions Club gave me the 50th Anniversary program. I found a mistake in the article entitled “Fifty Years of Service through Lionism in Delmar”.
To quote the error as follows “The club undertook the development of land donated by the late George W. Sparrow, Jr. which came to be known as the State Street Park.”
As President of the club in the year 1940-41 I initiated the purchase of this land because of the suggestion of my father who offered to loan the club the money to buy it at two percent interest.
The events unfolded as follows: George and Lucy Sparrow on Oct. 18, 1940 received a deed for the park land east of an extension of Fifth Street from Minnie Melson at a stated consideration of $1,300.
The property was then conveyed to my father and mother from the Sparrows by deed dated Nov. 6, 1940 upon payment of the sum of $2,100.
Upon discovering the Sparrows only owned the land east of the projection of Fifth Street and so informing Lion Frank Collins he offered to put up the money for the land including Fifth Street extended and the land west of that street. I negotiated with Mrs. Minnie Melson and for $1,45 the land was conveyed to Mr. and Mrs. Collins.
Immediately the Lions Club signed a contract of sale to purchase the same for the exact consideration as set forth in the Cullen and Collins deed.
When the Lions Club approved the contract, deeds were drawn conveying the property to Virgil Davis, George M. Nelson, Richard E. Cullen, and Fred M. Wright as trustees for the Delmar Lions Club on April 28, 1941 and a mortgage for $1,800 was executed by the trustees to Mr. and Mrs. Cullen and one for $1,045 to Mr. and Mrs. Collins payable at two percent interest per annum and payable $100 a year on principal plus interest.
In the spring of 1941 Mr. Collins obtained a used dump truck and Lion E. Russell Truitt owned a tract of land north of Delmar that had excess dirt on a ditch band and Mr. Truitt gave the excess dirt for fill. Each Saturday Lions loaded that truck which had been given to the club by Collins and filled in the swampy areas of the park.
During the war what happened is hearsay. I understand the Lions paid off the mortgages and filled the park with 500 loads of dirt.
So the park was not donated but was purchased with money paid for by the club. I have in my file copies of the records of this entire transaction.
Later in the 1950s the club also donated the lights in the park, a considerable expense.
Also in 1940-41 S. Second Street from Walnut to Foskey Lane was a narrow 15 foot dirt street with no sidewalks. The club obtained a deed from the owners of land on each side to widen the street to 30 feet and the County Commissoners of Wicomico County upon receiving the deed without cost to the county and the urging of the club widened the street as it now exists, and constructed the sidewalk on the east side of the street so that student attending Delmar, Md. school had a decent place to walk.
This letter is quite detailed but history is something that should be recorded correctly and the Lions do have much to be proud of for the work done by them through the years.
Sincerely yours,
Richard E. Cullen