Gordon Park

Gordon Park is a lovely oasis of green between Pryor Avenue and Alabama Street. Its most striking feature is the wonderful sculpture “Planting America” which celebrates the contributions of the immigrant community. It is a lovely strip of green in the heart of a residential neighborhood in South St. Joseph.

The strip of green between Pryor Avenue and Alabama Street in South St. Joseph has been a much-loved amenity for South St. Joseph since the beginning of the 20^th century. In 1906, the Parks Department hired a caretaker to oversee both Gordon Park and the parkland around Carnegie Library over the summer months for a salary of $50. Perhaps as a reflection of that affection, it was not unusual to find complaints that the park was not receiving sufficient attention from the parks department. Under the headline, “Neglect is Claimed,” on May 25, 1911, the St. Joseph News Press reported: “R.G. Rau, park superintendent, has a force of gardeners at work planning flowers and shrubbery and otherwise beautifying Carnegie library lawn and Gordon Park. These are two of the beauty spots in the South End in which residents take a pride. Aside from the floral donations, it is said, local citizens feel the parks have been neglected this year.” That same year there were complaints that cows were being allowed to graze on the parkland. It was alleged that Kate Billard and Mary Alexander allowed their cows free reign not only in Gordon Park, but also in their neighbors’ vegetable gardens! In 1937, local residents sent a telegram to the Mayor complaining that the grass at the park needed cutting.

     In 1913, the community struggled with the poor behavior of some of those who frequented the parks: “Undesireables have caused any amount of trouble in the south end parks. They made Gordon park a place unfit for the general public, and lights were put in there and solved the problem.” Despite the challenges, the park remained a favorite place for local children to escape the summer heat; a report from the public playgrounds committee in 1915 noted that on average 262 children visited the park each day.

     Gordon Park has been a favorite place for Southside groups to meet. In the summer of 1908 the Modern Brotherhood of America Lodge of the South End held an ice cream social there. Many churches held gatherings in the space. Students from nearby Hosea School held their May Day Fete there featuring “drills and dances by the pupils.” The Y.W.C.A. held its annual boys’ carnival at the park featuring a parade of decorated wagons, scooters, and bicycles.

The question whether to further develop the park by installing recreational amenities arose several times in the first part of the century. There were those who favored installing play equipment, pools, and tennis courts. Others preferred to preserve the peaceful open greenspace. In 1915, it was suggested that the park would benefit from the installation of a playground and wading pool; however, in the end, the decision was made to place those amenities elsewhere. In the early 1920s, a municipal skating pond operated at the park: “The space is divided by a narrow concrete driveway. The ponds are oblong, about eighty feet wide at the widest place. The larger course will be two blocks in length and the smaller one a block. A dike of earth is being placed about the park by the board of public works. The enclosed space will be flooded to a depth of six to eighteen inches.” The skating pond was illuminated by arc lights.

     Perhaps the largest gathering at Gordon Park was in July 1918 when a huge temperance rally was held on the site. More than 1,000 people came to hear W.G. Beasley, the Anti-Saloon league superintendent, speak. They were further entertained by a band which kicked off the festivities by marching through the streets to the park. A male chorus regaled the crowd with prohibition songs from Billy Sunday. In his address to the crowd, Beasley linked support for Prohibition to the war effort, making the assertion that the brewing of beer is a traditionally German occupation and thus drinking beer could be seen as supporting our enemy; “The man who votes against prohibition is voting for the kaiser. The present issue is Americanism: We will vote for no one who is not 100 percent American.”

     Today, the most notable feature at the park is the sculpture “Planting America.” Featuring a mother, father, and daughter (holding an American flag) planting an apple tree, this is a memorial to the immigrant community that has been so important to the identity of South St. Joseph. The sculpture by Claudia Packer was installed in 2009 and donated by the William J. Kenny Trust and South St. Joseph Progressive Association in honor of the Fisher Family. Herman and Julia Fisher came to South St. Joseph from Russia in the early 20^th century and made a prosperous life for themselves and their family in South St. Joseph. The sculpture and the lovely park in which it sits is a wonderful representation of the hard work and pride that is so characteristic of the Southside.

St. Joseph Gazette, May 31, 1906.

St. Joseph News Press, June 20, 1908.

St. Joseph News Press, July 29, 1908.

“Neglect is Claimed,” St. Joseph News Press, May 25, 1911.

“Complain of Parks,” St. Joseph Gazette, May 26, 1911.

“Let Their Cows Graze at Large: Two Women Are Taken by the Police,” St. Joseph Gazette, Oct. 20, 1911.

“More Light for Carnegie Park,” St. Joseph Gazette, July 11, 1913.

St. Joseph News Press, Aug. 28, 1914.

“Want a Wading Pool,” St. Joseph News Press, April 27, 1915.

“Playgrounds Report,” St. Joseph News Press, July 17, 1915.

“Smaller Parks’ Needs,” St. Joseph News Press, Sept. 9, 1915.

“May Day Fete Tonight,” St. Joseph Gazette, June 2, 1916.

“Over 1,000 Attend Dry Rally at Gordon Park,” St. Joseph News Press, July 14, 1918.

“Open Rinks in Parks,” St. Joseph News Press, Dec. 21, 1923.

“Oppose Tennis Courts in Park,” St. Joseph Gazette, July 6, 1924.

“Boys to Stage Carnival,” St. Joseph News Press, Aug. 25, 1928.

“South End Boys Will Parade at Gordon Park at 6 o’Clock,” St. Joseph News Press, Sept. 12, 1928.

“Telegram to Mayor,” St. Joseph News Press, July 28, 1937.

“South Side Memorial Honors City’s Immigrants,” St. Joseph News Press, June 29, 2009.