Temperature: 32 degrees
Skies partly cloudy.
It's been nearly two months since I started writing about Brady's Run Park. I decide today it's time to learn who this "Brady" actually was. On my way to the park center, I pass the man made lake. Patches of the water is iced over, frozen in place. Near the lake shore, the water ripples in mesmerizing patterns. It's odd to see the moving water lap against the frozen sheets, almost green against the white ice.
I enter the park center, a building that is home to an ice skating rink, walking track, and tennis courts. Hidden beside vending machines for every food and beverage imaginable, I find a bulletin board that answers my question: Who Was Brady?
Captain Samuel Brady lived from 1756 to 1795 and spent much of his life as a frontier scout in Western Pennsylvania and Northeastern Ohio. He fought in the Revolutionary War and served in the Continental Army. Brady was also a "vengeful Indian fighter."
I pause as I read this sentence. Vengeful is not a word one usually encounters at a local park.
Brady adopted this role as "vengeful Indian fighter" following the deaths of his brother and father in skirmishes with the Munsee and Seneca people. He was well known for his violent raids on the local Native Americans.
The bulletin board also mentions all of the other places in Western Pennsylvania and Northeastern Ohio that bear his name: East Brady, PA, Brady's Bend in Armstrong County (where Samuel Brady killed Chief Bald Eagle of the Munsee) and Brady's Leap in Kent, Ohio (where he jumped across the Cuyahoga River in order to escape his Native American captors).
I stare at the drawing of the man this park is named after. I wonder why anyone would name a place after a man who's major accomplishment was "vengeful Indian killer." It's strange thinking about his violent history at a park, a place that to me represents safety. A park is set aside to protect and conserve nature, it provides a safe place for children to play, and people to walk and run. But throughout history, how many people have died in these woods? How many have drowned in this river? How many many men, women, and children died by Brady's hand or his order?
The history of this park swirls in my head as I return to my car. The gray clouds seem darker, the iced over lake is harsh and unforgiving, the crows perched in the path ahead of me seem like an omen.
Hi Bethany- this is a revealing entry about your park's namesake. I like how you were able to weave in information about his life, while also maintaining your narrative flow. I appreciate that you felt comfortable leaving us with this darker reflection and sense of your park. I think it is important for us to realize that we don't always have to end our entries on a sunny or note. I am very interested to see what you write about next!!
ReplyDeleteThis is especially interesting to me as someone who is familiar with this namesake (Kent, OH also has Brady Lake, which is also named for him). I appreciate learning more about this origins of this park and also your questions about the motivations for preserving Brady's memory in this way.
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