Sheep meadow’s Once woolly denizens

BY RAANAN GEBERER

When one thinks of the Bach hymn, “Sheep May Safely Graze,” one rarely thinks of Central Park. And yet, for about 70 years, there was a time when sheep indeed did graze on Sheep Meadow.

When Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux designed Central Park in the mid-19th century, they thought that having a meadow with grazing sheep would add a pastoral touch. In 1864, they imported 200 pedigreed Southdown (later Dorset) sheep. In addition to being pleasant to look at, the sheep kept the grass trimmed and the lawn fertilized. They slept in the Victorian-style building known as the “Sheepfold” — better known today as Tavern on the Green.

In 1870, a sheep crossing was built across the park’s drive. Twice a day, a shepherd would lead the sheep to and from the meadow. Park-goers were discouraged from venturing into Sheep Meadow itself, but glimpse at the sheep from its perimeter.

The Parks Department sold the sheep’s wool, and, once a year, the city auctioned off several animals to thin out the herd. During the 1892 auction, one ram sold for $14, and one of the lambs sold for $2, according to the blog “Daytonian in Manhattan.”

Even though the sheep ruled the meadow, there were times when people took over the green. Many of these events involved children. According to The New York Times, 1,000 boys and girls from the city’s playgrounds competed in games and won prizes on a September day in 1922. About five years later, teams of boys converged on the green to fly their rubber band-propelled toy airplanes. Another five years later, 6,000 girls danced to folk music from around the world.

Semi-military events also were held on Sheep Meadow. In a March 1918 publicity stunt designed to spur onlookers to buy war bonds, two Curtis biplanes landed on the meadow following their 20-minute flights from Mineola. (At the time, airplanes were used almost exclusively by the military, although air mail would begin within a few months.)

Eventually, much of the flock became malformed because of inbreeding. In 1934, the Parks commissioner, Robert Moses, had the sheep transferred to Prospect Park’s Long Meadow, where they joined others of their four-legged kin in residence there. Moses had decided that he wanted the Sheepfold for a new restaurant: Tavern on the Green.

There might have been another consideration, too. In 1934, during the Great Depression, camps of men made Central Park their home and some city officials feared that some of them might steal some of the sheep, kill them and use them for food, “Modern Farmer” magazine reported. Ultimately, Central Park and the Prospect Park flocks were relocated to the Catskills.

Despite the end of Sheep Meadow’s original use, Central Park today isn’t completely sheep-less. Although they no longer graze in the meadow, some may still be seen in the Children’s Zoo, where they are appreciated by children and adults alike.