Opened in the late 1800s, Stark Park is one of Manchester's oldest parks and final resting place of New Hampshire native and Revolutionary War hero John Stark. A stunning 1948 bronze equestrian statue pays tribute to the highly revered major general on the slopped lawns near the front of the park. The lower portion of the grounds include a special intricately carved wooden bench engraved with owl figures along a tranquil nature walk through the woods. The state's motto "Live Free or Die" was inspired from a letter Stark wrote to his comrades near the end of his life.