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The City bought water lots from Mr. Ferguson and Mr. G. Patterson in 1886, to build a wharf. However, because the north end of the City was in great need of park land, the property was eventually transferred to the Parks Board. North End Park was opened on this site in 1908.
On January 18, 1911, North End Park was renamed Eastwood Park in honour of John Morrison Eastwood (1864-1927), co-founder and vice president of the Hamilton Playgrounds Association, editor of the Hamilton Daily Times and Alderman (1903-1906). He was chairman of the committee responsible for the development of the Bay area along Burlington St. Eastwood was also a great player and supporter of lawn bowling, and was, at one time, the president of the Victoria Lawn Bowling Club. At Mr. Eastwood's funeral, 400 children, representing every Hamilton playground, lined the walk along which Mr. Eastwood's coffin was taken from his home to the hearse.
A new playground with a ball diamond, swings, a wading pool, sand box and maypole, was opened at Eastwood Park on August 31, 1925. Mr. Eastwood himself was present to hand out medals and prizes to children from Eastwood, Frost and Bird, MacLaren, R. Tasker Steele, Robert Land, Ryerson, Victoria, Wellington, and Wilcox playgrounds, who had won various races and games. Afterwards, the children from all the different playgrounds put on a show, which included dances, life-saving skills, drills, tumbling and gymnastics. That evening, 3,500 people attended a concert and dance at the park led by the Machine Gun band.
2.04 hectares (5 acres) of the 8.14 hectare (20 acre) property were sold to the Naval Department of National Defence on February 1, 1943, for an area to house and train the officers and crew of the ship, the H.M.C.S. Star. A new grandstand for about 700 spectators was built in June 1958, to replace the old wooden stands. After a storm blew off a 70 foot piece of the Eastwood Park arena roof it in December 1970, it was rebuilt in February 1971. In 1972, 0.16 hectares (0.40 acres) of Eastwood Park were sold to the Board of Control for $94,000 to build a dock service road. New playground equipment was installed in 1988.
The Hamilton-Wentworth Region is installing a new sewer under Eastwood Park, and is , therefore, paying to redevelop the park after construction is over. The field house, playground and sports field will also be rebuilt or redeveloped. Work on all the above features should be finished by the summer of 1997.
