Edward H. Gowen, who died in 1924, left his home and the 20 acres surrounding it to the town for a public park and playground. His gift was subject to the life tenancy of his sister, and Sanford's park commission took over the park's development following her death in 1930. The band stand was erected where Mr. Gowen's home once stood, and its design and immediate surroundings were the work of Arthur A. Shurcliff, the noted landscape artist responsible for the gardens at Colonial Williamsburg.