A few weeks I wrote about the Japanese Footbridge by Lake Glacier, one of the most popular locations for wedding pictures, including my brother’s wedding party. Perhaps the most popular of locations is on the South Terrace of Fellows Riverside Gardens with its spectacular view overlooking Lake Glacier. On spring and summer Saturdays, there is a steady procession of wedding parties setting up for photos. Forty-five years ago today, we were one of those wedding parties!

It all began with the bequest of Elizabeth Ann Rudge Fellows, who died on March 19, 1958. She left her ten acre farm as well as an adjoining Rudge property which she owned as well as the bulk of her estate as a gift to Mill Creek Park with the intent of creating a rose garden and providing for its perpetual care. The farm occupied land on the east side of McKinley Avenue south of Mahoning Avenue on a plateau that terminates on the south end overlooking the north end of Lake Glacier.

Work on the gardens was delayed until 1963 because of a court case involving the construction of I-680, which would cross some of the land and change the proposed entrance to the gardens. Hence that original entrance from Price Road up a steep Fellows Drive. Only later was an entrance off of McKinley Avenue added.

The original gardens were designed by John Paolano of Akron and the first plantings of botanical, old-fashioned and modern roses in three area just north of the south terrace. There were also extensive plantings of trees and shrubbery at the north end. In 1965, the north terrace was completed, giving a panoramic overlook of the city and work on the south terrace begun. In 1966, Daniel A. Terreti & Sons were awarded the contract to build the shelter by the south terrace that became the site of many weddings including that of a daughter of a friend of ours. The carefully laid paving stones of the terrace and black iron railing present the spectacular view of Lake Glacier without distracting from it.

At that wedding we had the experience of closing a circle, as it were. Our son and daughter-in-law, who were then recently married, were with us. We took pictures of them where we had stood over 30 years before on our wedding day. I suspect this has happened with many Youngstown families where two or even three generations have taken pictures on the south terrace.

In the years since our wedding, Fellows Riverside Gardens has grown so much with new plantings and gardens, the Gazebo, the D.D. and Velma Davis Education and Visitor Center (where we celebrated my parents 60th wedding anniversary) and so much more.

Pulling out that wedding album and finding that forty-five year old photograph reminded me of the joy of our wedding day, the stunning beauty of my bride, and the blessing that we’ve been able to share forty-five years of marriage. Happy anniversary, my love!

And happy anniversary to all those celebrating anniversaries this summer; who, if they were from Youngstown, probably have pictures like ours, taken from that terrace overlooking Lake Glacier. Why not pull out those albums and take a stroll down memory lane?

And thank you, Mrs. Fellows, for such a spectacular gift to Youngstown.

To read other posts in the Growing Up in Working Class Youngstown series, just click “On Youngstown.” Enjoy!