A Plan for the Plantings
West Park, Allentown, Pennsylvania
Allentown philanthropist Harry C. Trexler wanted only the best for West Park. He hired a famous landscape designer from Philadelphia to help fulfill his vision. J. Franklin Meehan created the park's Planting Plan in 1906. He designed the park to look like an English garden with winding pathways.
Meehan selected rare and unusual plants for the park. Many of the trees and flowers he chose are still in the park today. He planted Norway maples, Japanese cherry trees, eastern white pines and oak trees. Today those saplings are full-grown trees.
[Photo captions, clockwise from top right, read]
• J. Franklin Meehan, c. 1924.
• West Park's trees near bandshell, c. 1920.
• West Park under development.
• West Park, c. 1908.
• A blue spruce, Picea pungens "glauca," one of West Park's 58 different tree species.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Charity & Public Work • Horticulture & Forestry • Parks & Recreational Areas. A significant historical year for this entry is 1906.
Location. 40° 35.972′ N, 75° 29.404′ W. Marker is in Allentown, Pennsylvania, in Lehigh County. Memorial is near the military memorials in West Park, about 200 feet north of the intersection of Linden and Fulton Streets. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Allentown PA 18102, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At
Also see . . .
1. West Park, Allentown PA. (Submitted on June 14, 2021, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
2. J. Franklin Meehan. (Submitted on June 14, 2021, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
Credits. This page was last revised on June 14, 2021. It was originally submitted on June 14, 2021, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 97 times since then and 7 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 14, 2021, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. 3. submitted on June 9, 2021, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.