v6-16--Graydon Pool
A History In Words & Pictures
The Ridgewood Maroon Vol. 6… No. 16
Thursday, May 7, 2026
“Bringing us all to a place we don’t want to lose.”
Observer: Graydon Pool
Observer
Graydon Pool
Coach Years provided the pictures and commentary. The photos were so compelling that this issue is dedicated to Graydon Pool.
With a new Graydon season rapidly approaching I can’t believe that it has been 22 years since I stepped away as manager. My last season was 2004.I began there in 1967 as a lifeguard. I worked there through college and missed the summer of 1971 because of grad school at Ohio State and 1972 teaching in Millburn. I came back to the pool in 1973 when I was hired in Ridgewood. I worked as a shift leader and lifeguard instructor. In 1976 I was promoted to asst head lifeguard and took over as head lifeguard and manager in 1980.All in all I was there for a total of 36 summers, 25 as manager head lifeguard. Through the pictures, it might be fun for folks in town to understand how deep the history is in the pool’s development and longevity.
Graydon Pictures
The first picture is if Linwood Park circa somewhere pre-1909
If you look left, you can see the lines of Linwood Avenue and the HO Ho Kus brook running behind the,,YES COWS..at the top of the picture. Notice the two sycamore trees that would be part of the first two islands that would be developed in the upcoming swimming area.
In picture two you can see Graydon after Samuel Graydon donated the land to the village and damned the brook adding a chlorination system to the pool at a cost of $23,000.00. Quite a hefty sum for the day. That construction started in 1918 and the park was completed in 1921.You can see the two islands which most people don’t realize were there, really only knowing the facility with one island. I can’t find when the front island was removed. The pool was officially named Graydon Pool in 1929 by the village. Until then it was still referred to as Linwood Park. This picture is from the 1929 era. You can see the lifeguard shack on the East side of the pool. There was 1 lifeguard on duty who also served a maintenance worker and police officer! Rowdy crowds..Ha! Adult season pass was 50 Cents and children were 25 Cents.
Picture three is of the WPA work in 1936 for pool improvements. That is when the wall ,office and bath house were built. If you look behind the steam shovel you can make out Maple Avenue at the top of the hill looking West.
Picture four is Graydon how many of us remember the facility from the 50’s and 60’s. Notice the stone houses and walls. Also noticed the bathing caps on the female swimmers. The picnic area next to the brook was consistently in heavy use on most summer nights.
The fifth picture is a photo showing the pool looking West to East. For many years the area beyond the West ropes where the pumps are located were off limits to swimmers and was used by recreational model boat enthusiasts! Dick Flechtner opened it up in the 60’s with a raft ,slide and Kiddie area and two lifeguard stands being added. The floating rafts were replaced with concrete as was the dock. The pool remained very much the same until the late 1980s when the major renovation took place adding the concrete deck, The new snack bar in the old office first aid room. Building a new managers office, first aid room and female lifeguard locker room. The swim team area was also renovated.
Picture six is an aerial view of the facility today. Notice the playground basketball area adder in the Northeast corner with the recreation department now in the old Lester property barn that use to sit directly behind the pool when Mr. Lester operated the property of a working farm. I can remember strong smells of horse manner wafting across the pools North side on hot humid summer days. He kept two huge draft horses in the barn to help play the fields.That is another history for another time. His house burned down after he died and the property was left to be purchased by the village which moved the barn to its current location ( thank you Mr.Bolger) and the farmland became Maple Park. Most importantly the Berm was built to help subside flood waters. Of course, to pool has flooded many times which enabled the lifeguard staff to engage in major clean ups
Picture seven is of our lifeguard staff in 1969.
Picture eight is of myself and my son Tadd and my daughter Nancy when they worked there in 2000.
