Local music lovers enjoy a concert on the lawn at Gough Park, circa 1977 - Photo courtesy of the Silver City Museum.Silver City -- The Victorian-style gazebo at the center of Gough Park in many ways serves as the heart of Silver City, the site of five decades of celebrations, protests and political events, music and more. The gazebo celebrated 50 years on July 4th, and is the focal point of a new "micro exhibit," now on display at the Silver City Museum.
"It's fitting to celebrate this community cornerstone with a small museum exhibit, given that museum staff, all two of them, were responsible for its creation back in 1976," said Javier Marrufo, museum curator. "Susan Berry and Harry Benjamin were the only museum staff at the time, and they made the project happen in celebration of the nation's Bicentennial. We're happy to recognize this community landmark, and share the little-known story of the museum's role in bringing it to life."
Berry directed the Silver City Museum for 27 years, and community icon, activist and renowned artist Harry Benjamin was the museum's curator when the gazebo project was launched.
Larry Roybal (standing) and David Berry work on the uprights for the gazebo, circa 1976. Photo courtesy of the Silver City Museum."We were inspired by a Victorian-style bandstand that we learned of in Cape May, New Jersey," Berry recalled, and they contacted a couple who were part of that project, then got the approval of the town's Bicentennial committee, and secured a $5,000 grant to help fund the project, which was matched by town funds and donations of time and materials.
Contractor Larry Roybal was awarded the contract for the bandstand construction, and town staff built the stone foundation and steps. Because Roybal called the structure a "gazebo," the name stuck, said Berry, who co-authored Built to Last: An Architectural History of Silver City, New Mexico, and is the author of Chapter One of Unpacking Silver City: Revealing the Rich Tapestry of a Historic Town," available for purchase at the museum store.
As the gazebo project began to unfold, Benjamin suggested that the town's original downtown lamp posts be pulled out of storage at the Waterworks property and restored for installation around the gazebo, adding historical significance to the project, which was dedicated on July 4, 1976. As part of the ceremony, a time capsule was sealed inside the gazebo's foundation, which contains essays by local high school students, histories from the U.S. Forest Service, WNMU, and various other local organizations, as well as a message from Grant County native Harrison H. Schmitt, PhD, the first scientist to walk on the moon. The contents also include a yucca poem by former local teacher Evelyn Bayne, which nearly became the designated state poem, save just one vote. The time capsule is to be opened on July 4th, 2076.
For more information about the exhibit, which runs through the end of the year, please contact the Silver City Museum at (575) 538-5921, or
The Silver City Museum creates opportunities for residents and visitors to explore, understand, and celebrate the rich and diverse cultural heritage of southwestern New Mexico by collecting, preserving, researching, and interpreting the region's unique history. The museum is nationally recognized through its accreditation by the American Alliance of Museums.
Admission is free, though a suggested donation of $5 helps support the museum's education programs, collections care and exhibitions. For more information, please contact the museum at (575) 589-0221/
