Edmund Ingalls was one of Lynn's first five settlers in 1629 and chose to make his home by this pond, Ingalls Pond. Edmund was a farmer that met with misfortune in 1648 when he and his horse fell through the Saugus River Bridge. He drowned and his family was awarded 1,000 pounds as the courts decided the bridge was unsafe.

The natural pond would eventually become a swamp and the city wanted to bring back the pond atmosphere. The new design for an artificial pond was the shape of a heart. The pond would be stocked with goldfish each year and thus its new name.

General Lafayette toured America between 1824 and 1825. During his visit to Lynn he spoke at the Lynn Hotel, paraded through the city stopping to view Ingalls Pond. This area would be renamed in his honor, Lafayette Park. There are several streets named after this great General including Fayette Street.

During Mr. Alan Hoffman's presentation on Lafayette at the Lynn Museum on December 10th he mapped out the General's 1824 tour through Lynn. Lafayette entered Lynn from Boston via the Boston Turnpike (Western Ave.), stopped at the Lynn Hotel in Market Square (Soverign Bank) and traveled down S. Common St. He took a right onto Market St. and a left onto Front St. (Broad St.) before taking a left onto Chestnut and a right to Ingall's Pond (Goldfish Pond). The General went up Fayette St. and took a right onto the Marblehead Turnpike (Essex St.) on his way to Marblehead and Newburyport.

This modern era post card shows the beauty that is Gold Fish Pond today. This park is one of the city's "gems" thanks to the dedication of a strong neighborhood association and thousands of volunteer hours.