SCRANTON — The former Dougherty’s Restaurant on Capouse Avenue at Larch Street in Pine Brook was a community go-to spot in the neighborhood for decades.
Patrons of the popular eatery included residents, local politicians and elected officials, and lots of children and parents going there before and after visiting the former Penn Ridge swimming pool that was a block away up the street.
The city this year completed a revamp of the formerly defunct, eyesore pool site into the Capouse Avenue Park featuring a new splash pad, playground and picnic area.
Now, Scranton City Council plans to name the splash pad there in honor of the late Joseph Dougherty and his wife, Margaret Dougherty, who were the former longtime owners of Dougherty’s Restaurant and who raised their 12 children in Pine Brook.
The Doughertys operated their successful eatery and “created a place where neighbors gathered, shared meals and generations of Scrantonians felt welcome,” and where “countless families and children made memories at their restaurant before and after spending their days at the pool,” according to a proposed council ordinance to name the splash pad as “The Joseph and Margaret Dougherty Splash Pad at Capouse Avenue Park.”
Members of the Dougherty family of Dougherty’s Restaurant on Capouse Avenue in the Pine Brook section of Scranton pose on June 23, 2011 for a photo for an article in The Times-Tribune. From left, Kim, Joe Jr., Joseph, Joe Sr. and Margaret Dougherty showcase their signature dish, Dougherty’s Homemade Baked Beans, at the Capouse Avenue Restaurant in Pine Brook. (TIMES-TRIBUNE / FILE PHOTO)
The city in August opened the splash pad, which is the city’s second splash pad, and the new playground at the revived Capouse Avenue Park. The $1.8 million project funded by federal American Rescue Plan Act dollars and other funding sources began last year and resulted in the formerly long-defunct, nearly 1-acre site transformed into the splash pad and playground.
As the Penn Ridge pool site, the property used to have a pool and bathhouse that were closed around 2010. The vacant pool and bathhouse then languished for years. In 2021, the city demolished the bathhouse building and pool and filled in and leveled the ground to make way for an overhaul of the site.
Joseph Dougherty, who died at age 85 in May 2019, was the third-generation owner of Dougherty’s Restaurant. According to his obituary, he was a graduate of St. Paul’s High School class of 1951 and attended the University of Detroit and the University of Scranton. A member of St. Paul’s Parish, Dougherty served in the Marine Corps during the Korean War. He served as the 13th Ward committee chairman for the Democratic Party, and in 2015 was the honorary grand marshal for the St. Patrick’s Parade.
According to a 2011 article in The Times-Tribune, the establishment was founded by Martin and Anna Dougherty as a small business they ran out of their yard and eventually expanded, constructing the building sometime around 1903. At that time, the neighborhood was a very busy industrial site, with plenty of blue-collar workers and local families who supported the business.
It got passed down through the generations. After running it for many years, Joseph Dougherty retired from the restaurant around 2014 and the building then was leased to other endeavors. In March 2019, some family members tried a restaurant reboot called “Doc Dougherty’s” that had a logo of “Serving the Next Generation.” It didn’t last long and the building now contains the Revive Church.
Council initiated the naming ordinance and unanimously introduced it Tuesday, with council President Tom Schuster, Patrick Flynn, Mark McAndrew, Sean McAndrew and Jessica Rothchild all in favor. The ordinance will come back before council at its meeting this coming Tuesday for a vote and advancement on second reading.
Flynn came up with the idea to name the splash pad for the Doughertys.
“I think this is the perfect family to honor in this way at that particular splash pad in that particular section of Scranton in Pine Brook, where Mr. and Mrs. Dougherty had their lunch spot for so many years. Such a pillar of that community showed what being good neighbors are,” Flynn said.
Council members thanked Flynn for raising the idea.
“I think these are great people to be able to name the splash pad after,” Rothchild said, noting the new park seems to be a big hit. “I’m just really glad to see what’s been done with it and that it’s open now and being used by kids and families.”
Schuster and the McAndrews agreed.
The naming ordinance says, “This tribute will serve as a reminder to future generations of the kindness, generosity and community spirit that Joseph and Margaret brought to Pine Brook for decades.”
Members of the Dougherty family of Dougherty’s Restaurant on Capouse Avenue in the Pine Brook section of Scranton pose on June 23, 2011 for a photo for an article in The Times-Tribune. From left, Kim, Joe Jr., Joseph, Joe Sr. and Margaret Dougherty showcase their signature dish, Dougherty’s Homemade Baked Beans, at the Capouse Avenue Restaurant in Pine Brook. (TIMES-TRIBUNE / FILE PHOTO)
A family waits to use the Capouse Avenue Park splash pad in Scranton Thursday, August 13, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Penny Pratt, 8, of Scranton, walks through the Capouse Avenue Park splash pad in Scranton Thursday, August 13, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Scranton Mayor Paige Gebhardt Cognetti applauds during the opening of the Capouse Avenue Park splash pad in Scranton Thursday, August 13, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Penny Pratt, 8, of Scranton, enjoys the new Capouse Avenue Park splash pad in Scranton Thursday, August 13, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Drew Popish, northeast regional director for the Office of Governor Josh Shapiro, plays in the water at the Capouse Avenue Park splash pad in Scranton Thursday, August 13, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Scranton City Council plans to name the new splash pad at Capouse Avenue Park in Pine Brook (shown here on Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026), in honor of the late Joseph Dougherty and his wife, Margaret Dougherty, who raised their 12 children in Pine Brook and were the owners of the former Dougherty’s Restaurant, which was long a popular spot in the neighborhood and located a block down the street from the park. (JIM LOCKWOOD / STAFF PHOTO)
Scranton City Council plans to name the new splash pad at Capouse Avenue Park in Pine Brook (shown here on Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026), in honor of the late Joseph Dougherty and his wife, Margaret Dougherty, who raised their 12 children in Pine Brook and were the owners of the former Dougherty’s Restaurant, which was long a popular spot in the neighborhood and located a block down the street from the park. (JIM LOCKWOOD / STAFF PHOTO)
Scranton City Council plans to name the new splash pad at Capouse Avenue Park in Pine Brook (shown here on Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026), in honor of the late Joseph Dougherty and his wife, Margaret Dougherty, who raised their 12 children in Pine Brook and were the owners of the former Dougherty’s Restaurant, which was long a popular spot in the neighborhood and located a block down the street from the park. (JIM LOCKWOOD / STAFF PHOTO)
Scranton City Council plans to name the new splash pad at Capouse Avenue Park in Pine Brook (shown here on Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026), in honor of the late Joseph Dougherty and his wife, Margaret Dougherty, who raised their 12 children in Pine Brook and were the owners of the former Dougherty’s Restaurant, which was long a popular spot in the neighborhood and located a block down the street from the park. (JIM LOCKWOOD / STAFF PHOTO)
Scranton City Council plans to name the new splash pad at Capouse Avenue Park in Pine Brook (shown here on Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026), in honor of the late Joseph Dougherty and his wife, Margaret Dougherty, who raised their 12 children in Pine Brook and were the owners of the former Dougherty’s Restaurant, which was long a popular spot in the neighborhood and located a block down the street from the park. (JIM LOCKWOOD / STAFF PHOTO)
Scranton City Council plans to name the new splash pad at Capouse Avenue Park in Pine Brook (shown here on Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026), in honor of the late Joseph Dougherty and his wife, Margaret Dougherty, who raised their 12 children in Pine Brook and were the owners of the former Dougherty’s Restaurant, which was long a popular spot in the neighborhood and located a block down the street from the park. (JIM LOCKWOOD / STAFF PHOTO)
Scranton City Council plans to name the new splash pad at Capouse Avenue Park in Pine Brook (shown here on Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026), in honor of the late Joseph Dougherty and his wife, Margaret Dougherty, who raised their 12 children in Pine Brook and were the owners of the former Dougherty’s Restaurant, which was long a popular spot in the neighborhood and located a block down the street from the park. (JIM LOCKWOOD / STAFF PHOTO)
Scranton City Council plans to name the new splash pad at Capouse Avenue Park in Pine Brook (shown here on Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026), in honor of the late Joseph Dougherty and his wife, Margaret Dougherty, who raised their 12 children in Pine Brook and were the owners of the former Dougherty’s Restaurant, which was long a popular spot in the neighborhood and located a block down the street from the park. (JIM LOCKWOOD / STAFF PHOTO)
Show Caption
1 of 14
Members of the Dougherty family of Dougherty’s Restaurant on Capouse Avenue in the Pine Brook section of Scranton pose on June 23, 2011 for a photo for an article in The Times-Tribune. From left, Kim, Joe Jr., Joseph, Joe Sr. and Margaret Dougherty showcase their signature dish, Dougherty’s Homemade Baked Beans, at the Capouse Avenue Restaurant in Pine Brook. (TIMES-TRIBUNE / FILE PHOTO)