Why are there so many Harmon Fields?
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Many people in Northwest Ohio have fond memories of attending events at Harmon Field. The problem is, which one are you talking about? Across Northwest Ohio there are eight different towns that have a Harmon Field. So the question is, why do eight different towns have a field named after the same person?
Who is Harmon?
The “Harmon” in Harmon field is named after William E. Harmon (1862-1928) who was a wealthy real estate developer and philanthropist. Harmon was born and raised in Lebanon, Ohio but moved to New York in adulthood. He set up the Harmon Foundation Playground Fund to allow parks to be built across the United States.
Why did William E. Harmon fund so many fields?
William E. Harmon was an incredibly wealthy man who wanted to fund projects to benefit communities across the country. Harmon was famous for the quote “Land is the gift eternal,” and was committed to funding playgrounds/areas for children to use across the United States. The following is a quote from a telegram from July 27th, 1922 about the funding of parks in Ohio:
“Forward looking as the state of Ohio is, in many respects it is behind in the trend of the times in providing permanent play spaces for its children. This is especially true in the smaller communities. In order to stimulate interest in these communities in the important part play has in education, Mr. Harmon offers to give twenty thousand dollars outright in amounts not exceeding two thousand dollars each toward the purchase of playgrounds or athletic fields in ten or more Ohio towns.”
Not only did several Ohio towns apply for the grant money, offers were made to communities across the country. The phrase from the Harmon Foundation was, “Any community that wants a playground can have one.” In total nearly 100 Harmon Fields were founded across the country. As a result of having a Harmon Field the community had two stipulations: 1. That the land purchased be used for playing and athletic purposes for all time and 2. That the land be named Harmon Field for all time.
What towns in Northwest Ohio got a Harmon Field?
The eight towns to receive a Harmon Field were: Bellevue, Bluffton, Bucyrus, Fostoria, Fremont, Paulding, Wapakoneta and Wauseon.
Bellevue - The Harmon Field in Bellevue was used by the high school football team from around 1928 to 1967 and by the high school track and field teams from 1930 to 1938. The field is currently operated by the K-8 Immaculate Conception School.
Bluffton - The Harmon Field in Bluffton was dedicated in 1923 and originally had an area for baseball and football. It is the home of Bluffton High School football to this day.
Bucyrus - The Harmon Field in Bucyrus was first used by the high school in the late 1920’s and hosted multiple sports teams through the 1970’s. It has since become a public park where it now has a playground and soccer fields.
Fostoria - Records from the time did not give accurate information about the history of the park or if it was ever used by either Fostoria HS or St. Wendelin HS. Harmon Park is now a half acre playground.
Fremont - The Harmon Field in Fremont was a general park field at first, but was dedicated in 1936 as the home Fremont Ross athletics as a result of the WPA stadium construction. It has since gone under significant improvements thanks to the generosity of Don Paul. Harmon Field has been home to Fremont Ross and Fremont St. Joseph for decades.
Paulding - Harmon Field in Paulding was originally home to a baseball diamond and public pool. The area continued to exist as a park until the current high school was built on top of the area.
Wapakoneta - Wapakoneta has both Harmon Field and Harmon Park. Harmon Field has for decades been the home of Wapakoneta sports and the field is currently located in Harmon Park. All of which have been located in the same area for nearly 100 years.
Wauseon - Harmon Field in Wauseon has been the home to Wauseon High School sports for decades and is still home to the football field.
Why are there so many Harmon stadia? It's to honor Mark Harmon, the actor in that top 1987 hit, "Summer School".