Wilson Park History

Wilson Park History. . As early as 1906, Wilson Park, Fayetteville's original City Park, was first owned, maintained and operated privately by civic-minded A. L. Trent. Each spring, Trent's Pond, now used as a softball field on the east side of the park, was used by local residents as the city's swimming hole, boating area and social gathering spot. The photograph above shows the pond circa mid-1920s. The view is facing east with Prospect Street shown in the background., In the mid-1920s, University of Arkansas Professor Noah F. Drake led a group of local businessmen who purchased City Park from Mr. Trent. They formed the City Park Company which built the first permanent pool at the park in 1926 as well as a tourist camp for the new and burgeoning automobile travel craze then sweeping the nation. This 5-acre portion of the park was purchased by the City of Fayetteville in 1944., In 1946, renowned local author Charles Morrow Wilson sold and donated 17 acres of land west of the original park, known as Wilson’s Pasture, to the city. Wilson specified that City Park, which became the size it is now, be officially named Mattie Morrow Wilson Memorial Park, in honor of his mother. Today it is named Wilson Park and is one of the city’s most popular parks., [Captions] , (Top row, left to right)
. Trent's Pond Courtesy Shiloh Museum of Ozark History/Washington County Historical Society Collection (P-490) , . Noah F. Drake Courtesy of Special Collections, University of Arkansas Libraries, Fayetteville , . C. M. Wilson Family Courtesy of Special Collections, University of Arkansas Libraries, Fayetteville , (Bottom row, left to right) , . A.L. Trent Courtesy Shiloh Museum of Ozark History/Washington County Historical Society Collection (P-2117) , . City Park Company Tourist Camp. A remnant marker from the original tourist camp era is still located near the only remaining stone cottage camp structure in Wilson Park. , . Charles Morrow Wilson Courtesy of Special Collections, University of Arkansas Libraries, Fayetteville