A small triangle encircled by linden trees overlooking a bustling highway, Thomas Park might not seem like much. But for the residents of Portland’s Libbytown neighborhood who worked for years to have the park recognized, it represents a serene escape from urban life.

Sold to the city in 1913 by the prominent Thomas family for just $1, Portland’s so-called “newest old park” celebrated its 111th anniversary on Sunday.

Located between Lowell, Burnham and Congress streets across from the old Denny’s restaurant, Thomas Park was always intended for outdoor recreation but fell out of use half a century ago. That is, until February when city council members unanimously designated the greenspace as a city park thanks to community efforts.

Residents, Thomas family members and representatives from Friends of Thomas Park, the Libbytown Neighborhood Association and the University Neighborhood Organization joined in the park Sunday morning to mark the date and unveil the official Portland Park System sign.

“This patch of land cost $1, but today, to get here, took several years, endless hours, many meetings, lots of faces – some friendly, some not – poking into dusty archives, old family memories, all this and more, to bring this about,” Portland historian Herb Adams told the crowd Sunday.

People clap as the park sign is unveiled at the Thomas Park 111th Anniversary Celebration in Portland on Sunday. Brianna Soukup/Staff Photographer

Descendants of the Thomas family, Elias Thomas III and his daughter, Heather Thomas Beaupre, spoke about their family’s legacy at the event. They were joined by Adams and Councilor Regina Phillips, who helped support the measure in the City Council.

“When I was a little boy, my dad would bring me out here … and we walked around for the first time, I was probably about 6 years old, and I said, ‘Why are we here, dad?’ He said, ‘Well, your ancestors donated this land for a park to the city of Portland back in the early 1900s,’” Elias Thomas said.

About two years ago, Carol Schiller, University Neighborhood Organization president, contacted the family about redesignating the space as a park, Elias Thomas said. From there, a group of supporters came together to lobby for its revitalization.

“(The support is) really overwhelming,” Heather Thomas Beaupre said. “My family has always had the family pride, and this is important, our family name is important.”

Schiller said she hopes the park brings a sense of community back to the neighborhood, which was impacted 50 years ago when a city mandate closed Thomas Park and moved its playground equipment to Douglas Field.

“It’s been a lot of hard work, and it’s taken a couple of years, and it feels fantastic,” Schiller said. “This is the intention – people in the park, having fun, enjoying the space.”

Members of the Thomas family, including Mary Lou Thomas Sprague, 96, second from right, pose for a photo in front of the new park sign at the Thomas Park 111th Anniversary Celebration in Portland on Sunday. Thomas Sprague’s great-uncle Elias Thomas donated the land to the city for the park. Brianna Soukup/Staff Photographer

The Thomas family earned their wealth as merchants and once owned a mansion at the intersection India and Congress Streets. They were early abolitionists, and the site of their home is now a stop on Portland’s Freedom Trail.

“We’ve always been reprobates, forever and ever, pushing to make sure everybody’s seated at the table,” Heather Thomas Beaupre said.

The family was known to open their doors to everyone from Frederick Douglass and Susan B. Anthony to people in need of a place to spend the night, Adams explained.

In the seven months since the council voted to designate the park, it has added picnic tables and lighting.

The lighting was supported in part with funds from MaineHealth, which is required by the city to allocate $30,000 a year to community projects in the five neighborhoods bordering Maine Medical Center, said Libbytown Neighborhood Organization treasurer Damon Yakovleff. The organization also plans on using the funds to build a public art installation in the park honoring shoe factory workers who used to work in the neighborhood.

Continuing her family’s legacy of open doors, Heather Thomas Beaupre said she hopes the park can be an accessible place, especially for patients at neighboring medical facilities like Maine Medical and Maine Eye Center.

“I’m thinking the eye center, you go get your eyes dilated, and you couldn’t find anyone to drive you home, so now you have to wait around for an hour before you can drive anywhere,” Heather Thomas Beaupre said. “It’d be nice if you could just sit in a nice little park across the street and just enjoy it. Just take time to slow down and smell the flowers.”