Highland Park summer lifeguards Tylan Cole, 20, left, and Justus Willis, 22, and others monitor swimmers to ensure safety at the historic pool. Photo by Coleman Warner

The water was blissfully cool as I dove into the deep end, offering relief from a sweltering Meridian afternoon. The surroundings at the Highland Park pool, built in 1935 with a distinctive stone pool house, also delivered a pleasing flashback from the early 1960s.

 

Along with lots of other Meridian natives, I can recall swimming lessons in this spacious city pool, learning to cup my hands so they would pull the water and propel me forward. I also learned about endless fun in a history-rich setting.

As I recently watched a couple of dozen children and a few adults swim and play in the shallow end, carefully monitored by summer lifeguards, it struck me that this pool could have easily accommodated hundreds more. It seemed a missed opportunity, especially since this summer the city of Meridian – as a welcoming overture – waived entrance charges.

 

Highland Park has been a civic gathering place in Meridian since 1909, and was once served by a streetcar line. Dozens of tree-shrouded acres became home to the beautiful Dentzel Carousel House (designated a National Historic Landmark in 1987), open-air pavilions and picnic shelters, ball fields, a pond – and in time, basketball courts and the Frank Cochran Center. For many years, it hosted the popular “Art in the Park” festival.

 

The special-events Cochran Center, closed after a fire several years ago, recently reopened after a costly rebuild. An impressive new playground is nearby. Generally, this unique park is inviting and clean, the kind of municipal asset that many communities can only dream of.

 

Unfortunately, if you believe relentless social media postings, Highland Park is not quite safe; it’s plagued with random criminal activity or threats, not a place to bring young innocents.

 

This characterization is detached from reality, at minimum an outdated distortion. If you talk to key individuals close to day-to-day affairs at Highland Park, which has lots of security cameras, they will attest there have been virtually no criminal incidents there in recent years. And that alleged crimes associated with Highland typically occur in adjacent neighborhoods. Highland Park is often tagged as a crime spot because it’s a convenient “landmark.”

 

“I would send my family over there,” said Meridian Police Department Acting Capt. Dareall Thompson.

 

There seems to be a serious public misconception about safety in the park, the ranking officer said. The same point is made by Parks and Recreation Director Thomas Adams, and by Ricky Hood, director of the Boys & Girls Club of East Mississippi, which has a campus near the park. And by others who work at Highland.

 

“The people in this community are missing the opportunity (of enjoying) one of the better parks in this area because of perception,” said Hood, who can be quite vocal about neighborhood crime issues. “Let’s talk about the good things (at Highland).”

 

One idea sometimes touted by those fearing crime is that of moving the Dentzel Carousel (created in the 1890s) to the bustling edge of Meridian’s downtown, next to the Children’s Museum. That proposal is troubling on multiple levels: It would clash with the carousel’s National Register restrictions; loss of the joyful attraction would be a devastating blow to Highland; and, collectively, we would miss an opportunity to use this famous asset as inspiration for neighborhood renewal – including the fight against crime.

 

One Meridian resident who once helped operate the carousel, Jane Moring, offered an alternative idea: Create a replica of the ride (which features colorful animals as riding seats) near the Children’s Museum.

 

“Make it size/safety appropriate for elementary aged folks,” Moring said in a refreshingly positive social media post. “Near it have a sign/information on the original (history, hours, how to get there, etc.). Maybe it would help bring more folks to the original. Gives another opportunity to show the historical gem we have.”

 

A brilliant suggestion. We should ponder it as we lower our guard and embrace Highland Park once again this summer.

 

Warner is a veteran journalist and cultural historian, and can be contacted at legacypress.warner@gmail.com.