This 4.1 acre neighborhood park in West Palm Beach was named in honor of Judge Curtis Chillingworth who was presumed murdered along with his wife Marjorie in 1955. The story of Judge Chillingworth is a fascinating unsolved mystery. In 1921 after serving in the Navy in WWI, Chillingworth came back to West Palm Beach to practice law with his father. He became a county judge at the age of 24. In 1923 he became the newly elected circuit judge in 1923, holding the position for thirty-two years until his disappearance in 1955 at the age of 58. At the time he and his wife Marjorie, 57, were splitting their time between a winter home in West Palm Beach and a summer beach home in nearby Manalapan. The last time the couple were seen alive was at a dinner party on the evening of June 14, 1955. The next day the couple were supposed to meet with a carpenter to build a playground for their grandchildren but they never showed up for the meeting. Inside the house there were bloodstains on the stairs. The police believed the Chillingworth's were kidnapped but the case went cold for 5 years. The mystery began to unravel in 1959 when the people involved began talking. Eventually it was learned that Floyd Holzapfel, a West Palm Beach garage attendant and a pool room operator named Bobby Lincoln murdered the couple in a plan masterminded by corrupt Municipal Judge Joseph A. Peel. Holzapfel eventually confessed the plot. Peel had been accepting bribes and offering protection to criminals. When Judge Chillingworth found out he started making plans to have Peel disbarred. To prevent that from happening Peel orchestrated Chillingworth's murder. It was believed the couple was taken out of the secluded Manalapan house in the middle of the night, driven out to sea, and thrown overboard. Before they drowned the couples last words were of love to each other. Their bodies were never recovered. When it went to trial Lincoln got immunity for his testimony, Holzapfel was sentenced to life in prison, and Peel served 21 years for the crime before dying of cancer 9 days after his release. Upon his deathbed, Peel confessed to the crime.
Chillingworth Park is located at Ware Drive and Erie Place between Okeechobee Blvd. and Palm Beach Lakes Blvd. The park is surrounded by homes with walking entry to the park from S. Chillingworth Drive. Park amenities include a paved walkway, pavilion, gazebo, playground, exercise path, basketball court, open play area, and tennis court. In 2019 Chillingworth Park received a new playground.
I already knew the sad story of Judge Chillingworth so it was interesting to discover the park that bears his name. The park is very pretty and the only thing it lacks is a restroom. Even though the Chillingworth's were robbed of time with their own grandchildren I think they would be pleased to know that children today are enjoying the park that bears their name. read more