Year |
Event |
1863 |
Old Fort Park, first city park, purchased by Mr. Henry Williams and given to city. (Site of Anthony Wayne's first fort.) |
1866 |
Northside Park acquired to be home of the Indiana State Fair. |
1869 |
Colonel Thomas W. Swinney leased his property to the City. It became known as Swinney Park. |
1875 |
Colonel Swinney died and bequeathed his property to the City as a park with the condition that his family should have the home as long as they lived. |
1876 |
Hayden Park acquired. |
1880 |
Reservoir Park developed when the City reservoir was built. |
1886 |
McCulloch Park given to the City by Mr. Hugh McCulloch. |
1893 |
City leased more land for Swinney Park from Swinney heirs. |
1894 |
Park Department formed under control of the Board of Public Works. |
1895 |
Colonel Foster headed up a committee to investigate formation of a municipal park board. He believed that Fort Wayne should have a city park within a 10 minute walk of every home. |
1896 |
August W. Goers was the first Park Superintendent, serving in that capacity at a time when parks were under the jurisdiction of the Board of Works. During his tenure Lawton, Swinney, Reservoir, McCulloch, Hayden, Weisser and Lakeside parks were developed as beauty spots of their time. All of this was reportedly accomplished at a very low cost to the taxpayers. |