John L. Lewis Waterfront Park Spruced Up - A Family Affair

The John L. Lewis Waterfront Park is located on Mauran Ave at Pier Rd in East Providence. This small 1/4 acre park along the Seekonk River has sweeping views of Narragansett Bay, Washington Bridge, Bold Point Park and East Providence/Providence shoreline. The park has a small picnic area.

In June of 1996, construction began on the John L. Lewis Waterfront Park. Lewis Park was designed in a cooperative effort between City Parks and Engineering Division employees and constructed by Parks Division employees with assistance from the city's Highway Division. Lewis Park was completed in October 1996. Construction of Lewis Park was funded, in part, through a grant provided by the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management.

With some trees and a flat grassy lawn, there is one picnic table and a handful of park benches. A crushed stone parking lot is at the north end of the park. A bi-lingual historical marker on the west side offers an extensive narrative of the area dating from 1641 through 1996.

On Sunday July 21st many members of the John L. Lewis family gathered to spruce up the park. The group included Lewis' children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. "Restoring my great grandfather's park in East Providence with the family was a thrill," said Michael Lewis, a great grandchild. "We got a lot of repairs done including fence repair, sign painting, flower planting, landscaping and more. We had a great time and loved seeing family we haven’t seen in awhile!"

John L. Lewis was the longtime top aide to former U.S. Senator Claiborne Pell.