«I’m not the man they think I am at home Oh no no no I’m a rocket man Rocket man burning out his fuse up here alone» (Rocket Man –written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin) We’ve all seen city parks, right? Some are big, some are small. But how many parks will you find behind a fire station, across the street from a shopping mall, with a full size replica of a rocket aimed at the sky? Goddard Memorial Park honors the memory of Dr. Robert H. Goddard, considered to be father of the liquid fueled rocket. He launched over 30 rockets between 1926 and 1941. The very first one was launched right here, from an Auburn, MA farm owned by his aunt, on March 16, 1926. The park and it’s eye-catching centerpiece was dedicated by the Rotary Club of Auburn in 1970. A plaque near the rocket reads: DR. ROBERT H. GODDARD PARK FIRSTLIQUID PROPELLANTROCKET LAUNCHEDINAUBURN MASS. MAR. 16, 1926 BY R. H. GODDARD THISPARKDEDICATEDTOHISMEMORY BYTHEROTARYCLUBOFAUBURN 1970 A nearby sign reads: THISIS A TRUESIZEDUPLICATE OFTHEWORLD’S FIRSTLIQUID FUELROCKETENGINE. THEFIRSTSUCCESSFULFLIGHT WASMADE ½ MILEEASTOFHERE ONMARCH16TH1926BY DR. ROBERT H. GODDARD
