To memorialize her husband, Stephen Wilcox, Harriet Hoxie Wilcox purchased seven acres of land in downtown Westerly in 1898 and donated it to the Memorial and Library Association. Stephen Wilcox, a successful businessman and inventor, had spearheaded the effort to build the Westerly Library. The park acquired smaller additions until 1905, bringing it to its current size of 14 acres. Wilcox Park is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.