Rockwood Park was designed in the 19th century by
Calvert Vaux, one of the designers of
Central Park in
New York City. Vaux's father had previously made a preliminary report for the park, which Vaux would work on after inheriting some of his father's clients after his death. Initially, Rockwood Park was created around Lily Lake during the late 19th century, being named through a vote conducted for nearby citizens. As a
UNESCO geosite, Rockwood has been a site of significant geological study. In the late 1800s, the Natural History Society of New Brunswick conducted an investigation of the park's geology, and specimens collected during this period are now housed in the
New Brunswick Museum. Howes Cave, discovered in the 1860s and later described in the Society Bulletin in 1904, formed through the dissolution of carbonate bedrock (marble) by natural acids in rainwater and groundwater. Additionally, a graphite mine operated near the outlet of Lily Lake during the 1800s. Lily Lake was one of the first sources of fresh water for Saint John. It was hauled from the lake by tanks and sold for 1 cent a bucket. In 1907, a court battle ensued as to who had the rights to the ice in Lily Lake; the ice cutters or the skaters. Although the ice cutters had been granted permission to erect an ice block conveyor in previous years, the skaters won and for decades the lake was center for outdoor winter recreation. In 1926, the speed skater
Charles Gorman, won the World Speed Skating Championship on Lily Lake. It was estimated that 25,000 people turned out on February 7, 1926, to watch him take the championship, setting a world record in the 220 and 440 yard events. == Lily Lake Pavilion ==