Community Pool at Central Park.

Community pool at Central Park.

The Central Park Pool was the only public pool in Cornwall for decades. It was six feet at the deep end. Swimmers would line up to pay a fee (25¢) to get in. If a swimmer wanted to check their clothes and shoes, a lifeguard would issue a numbered metal tag to fasten to one’s bathing suit with a safety pin. The number matched the shopping bag on a hook where the swimmer’s belongings were stored. Each swimmer had to step into a sanitizing foot bath before entering the pool because the pool did not have a filtration system. Once a week, the water was drained, the cement walls and floor were scrubbed with disinfectant and a large “key” was turned to let fresh water in. The fresh water was river-cold for swimming classes on Monday morning. 

~ Lily Worrall Collection

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