Barbara and Jay Vincent Park

Lucretia Edwards Park, on the Richmond Bay Trail.

Annamarie Morel

Lucretia Edwards Shoreline Park

Access: Open park location.
Location: This site can be reached by walking a few minutes down the Bay Trail path, from the Rosie visitor center.
Lucretia Edwards Shoreline Park

Lucretia Edwards Shoreline Park, named after a dedicated local advocate for open spaces, serves as a tribute to the other San Francisco Bay Area Shipyards. This park, located just a short 0.01-mile walk from the Rosie the Riveter Visitor Education Center, features exhibits highlighting the locations of the various shipyards around the Bay Area.

This two-acre park not only honors Lucretia Edwards, who championed the preservation of open space and shorelines, but also commemorates the significant contributions of the Bay Area Shipyards during World War II. Visitors can follow cast boot prints that guide them to the locations of additional WWII shipyards encircling the Bay.

At the heart of the park, a granite map of the Bay Area is surrounded by three shadow figures, created by artist Wang Po Shu. These figures—two adults representing liberty and victory, inscribed with historical definitions, and a blank infant figure symbolizing the future's possibilities—enhance the park's narrative.

In the 1960s, Lucretia Edwards and other local residents sought to reclaim the shoreline, which had been largely inaccessible due to industrial activities. Edwards was particularly incensed by the limited public access—only 67 feet of Richmond’s 32-mile shoreline was available to the public at that time. "I was enraged by what I saw. You hardly knew that the Bay was there," she remarked.

Edwards dedicated her later years to advocating for open access to Richmond’s scenic waterfront. She collaborated with others to transform parts of the industrial waterfront into public parks. Today, thanks to these efforts, over 25 miles of the city’s shoreline have been incorporated into the San Francisco Bay Trail. Lucretia Edwards Shoreline Park stands as a testament to her successful endeavors in restoring public access to the shore.

“We live in stressful times. Relief from stress of mind, body, and spirit comes from beauty. We, users of shoreline parks on the beautiful SF Bay, are grateful for the peace, happiness, and respite from stress that they bring." – Lucretia Edwards