Before it was known as Franklin Circle, the circular shaped one and one-half acres of greenery near the intersections of Franklin Avenue, Fulton Road, and Hanover Street (now West 28th Street) was known to west side residents as Modoc Park. The park was constructed in 1872 by the City of Cleveland. It acquired its unusual name because of controversy surrounding the replacement of an ornamental fountain on the site with a rockery. The rockery can be seen being attended to by a caretaker in this 1888 photo of the park.
Image courtesy of Cleveland State University Library, Press Collection.Download Original File
