HARTS HILL PARK, now John J. Round Park, shown in this 1930 photo taken by Bourdon Studio of Wakefield. At the top of Harts Hill is the old Wakefield Fire Tower. Fire towers became popular on the early 20th century and were occupied by a person known as a “fire lookout,” whose duty it was to search for and report wildfires over a wide distance. Like many such structures, Wakefield’s fire tower consisted of a small room, known as a cab, atop a tall steel structure. When it opened on April 24, 1913, the tower rose 48 feet above the top of Harts Hill. Spiral stairs led up to a 10 by 10-foot cab. In 1958, a new cab was built, but only served until 1964, when the tower was permanently closed at the end of the fire season. The tower was dismantled in 1968. The footings for the old tower can still be seen by anyone who scales to the top of Harts Hill. Harts Hill Park was renamed in 1953 for local philanthropist and town official John J. Round. JJ Round Park is now home to a basketball court, a baseball field, a children’s playground and the Wakefield Community Garden.
