William E. Harmon was a real estate agent, born in Ohio, but lived most of his life in New York. He formed the Harmon Foundation, which contributed money to various different types of interests. One division of the Foundation was for Playgrounds in America. It is believed that somewhere between 120 and 150 communities benefited from Foundation money in order to build their recreational facility.
    Harmon was fond of saying, "A playground now will be a playground forever, for land is the one thing that does not perish. And children will play!" He also said, "The gift of land is the gift eternal. Churches will crumble. Libraries and art galleries turn to dust, endowments become lost, but land will ever be ready to fulfill the purpose to which it is dedicated."
    "Land is the gift eternal," said Mr. Harmon. "Buildings may crumble, endowments fail, but land is forever available. Fifty generations have used the playgrounds that were left as open spaces in the building of Rome, and these same playgrounds will be used for hundreds of generations. The land we set aside today in American towns and cities will serve the boys and girls not only of this generation, but of unnumbered generations to come." The New York Times, October 23, 1921.
    In helping to maintain his legacy, we are working on writing a book. If you have any information regarding Harmon Fields in America, please contact us at the e-mail address below. If you live near one of the Harmon Fields on the list, or are traveling near any of them, be sure and take some pictures and send to me.

    Thank you for any information you have that would make this a cherished book for years to come.

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