by Michael V. Hazel
Old City Park: The Historical Village of Dallas occupies the site of Dallas’ oldest park, established in 1876 as City Park. That year, James J. Eakins gave the city ten acres of land south of downtown Dallas, which were set aside as a public park. In 1881 the city acquired eight additional acres originally owned by the pioneer Browder family. This land included Browder Springs, the city’s first public water supply, as well as Mill Creek. Extensive landscaping made City Park a favorite place for family outings, flower shows, and band concerts in the late nineteenth century. The Dallas County Pioneer Association held its annual meetings in a pavilion on the grounds in 1886 and 1887. The first city zoo was located here in the 1890s, before being moved first to Fair Park and then to Marsalis Park in Oak Cliff.
Recreational facilities, including a swimming pool, tennis courts, and a baseball diamond were added in the twentieth century. The Park Department also maintained several greenhouses on the grounds to supply plants for all the parks in the city. Construction of R.L. Thornton Freeway in the early 1960s had a major impact on City Park, taking nearly five acres from its northern end and forcing the removal of the Confederate Memorial, which had been erected in the park in 1897, to Pioneer Cemetery.
In 1966, a group of concerned citizens led by Mrs. Sawnie Aldredge organized the Dallas County Heritage Society in order to save Millermore, the largest remaining antebellum mansion in Dallas. The Society negotiated an agreement with the City of Dallas, allowing it to move Millermore into City Park. The house was reconstructed and opened to the public in 1969. Two years later, the Heritage Society began working with the city to bring additional buildings of historic value to the park and develop a museum of architectural and cultural history, reflecting life in North Central Texas between 1840 and 1910. This became Dallas’ first official bicentennial project, and the park was renamed Old City Park in 1976.
In the past thirty years, the Heritage Society has brought nearly forty buildings and structures to the park, restored them to their original appearance, and furnished them appropriately for their time period. In 1982 Old City Park received accreditation from the American Association of Museums, making it one of only four museums in Dallas so honored by this national, professional organization. Through the use of costumed interpreters and interactive programs, the museum provides a rich educational experience to some 20,000 school children and 80,000 adults each year.
(Date unknown)
