Before Grove Park, there was Shaw Park

Grove Park in Rehoboth Beach is meeting place for people of all ages, whether at the children’s playground, in the park’s pavilion or for a game of shuffleboard. That was the purpose of the park when the land was donated to the City of Rehoboth Beach by Benjamin F. Shaw in 1920.

Shaw’s donation was a half-acre piece of property in a shady grove of trees. The intention was to provide visitors a place to camp.

According to an essay by Rehoboth historian Paul Lovett, the park became a highly popular place, particularly for those who arrived by automobile, as seen in this undated postcard. Eventually, trailers were added to the park, growing to as many as 44 sites in the late 1980s.

At one time, the city considered putting a municipal complex on the site. A library was also proposed. In August 1987, Rehoboth residents voted 498-454 to close the city-owned mobile park; it closed in 1990. Eventually, the amenities were added and the name was changed to Grove Park.