Garfield Park was originally the
summer home property of John
Newell, brother of Helen Newell
Garfield (the wife of Garfield’s
second son, James R.). John
Newell’s house sat where the
swimming pool is today; his
carriage house remains on the
property and is used by the City
of Mentor. The pond that still
exists today was the wintertime
spot for ice skating and even
had a boathouse.
The property
became a recreation park in the
late 1950s due to the efforts of
Eleanor Borton Garfield, a
former Mentor Village mayor. In
1980, it became the first public
park in Mentor and was renamed
in Eleanor’s honor. She was
President Garfield’s
granddaughter-in-law—the widow
of Rudolph Hills Garfield.
In 2010, the
new home pool for the Mentor
Marlins will be The Mentor Civic
Center Pool.
