John Lucas Park and Horace Mann

Located in the heart of historic Midtown, John Lucas Park and the Bartlett Center have available picnic tables and shelters, basketball courts, a playground, and horseshoe courts. John Lucas Park is a great place to shoot some hoops or have a picnic. Located in the former Horace Mann School, the Bartlett Center is a community center/child care facility; the gym is used for community events and basketball games.

 Few places in St. Joseph are as tied to the history of the African American community as John Lucas Park and the Bartlett Center. Located on the site of the only high school in the city that admitted black students before desegregation, this place has stories to tell!

     The first building on the site was Bartlett High School where African American students whose families made it possible for them to attain secondary education went. Bartlett School was built in 1888 at a cost of $15,800. In 1929, the gym was built for $48,000. It remained segregated until 1954. In 1956, the old structure was demolished (except for the gym which still stands and is used by the Bartlett Center and other community groups) and the new Horace Mann school was built as a desegregated elementary school. In 1971, it was a middle school before it closed in 1979 due to changing enrollment patterns. It has since been utilized as a neighborhood community center; it is now home to the Bartlett Center. The halls of the Bartlett Center display large-scale photographs of Bartlett School and the people who studied and taught there – the exhibit is open to the public.

     Adjacent to the Bartlett Center is John Lucas Park, a gathering place for the neighborhood, especially in nice weather. The park was built in the late 1970s when Horace Mann school became a community center. It suffered from lack of maintenance and had a reputation as a place that was not safe. In 2002, the city committed to a revitalization of the park using Community Block Grant funds, undertaking a planning process in which the input of members of the neighborhood was sought. The initial plans included a shelter house with restrooms, basketball courts, as well as improved fencing and lighting. Further improvements were planned for later. It took longer than hoped for the improvements to be completed, but the neighborhood never gave up and in 2004, the first phase of the improvements were completed. Further improvements were made, and when they were completed in 2007, the amenities were a huge hit! It took a little time, but the park became a valued center for the neighborhood and has been the site of the annual Juneteenth celebrations. Today it is a terrific place to play basketball or horseshoes, have a picnic, or just take in the historic surroundings.

“The St. Joseph Public Schools,” Section 6, Individual School Histories.

Building Permit Information, City of St. Joseph.

Jimmy Myers, “Lucas Park Plans Drawn,” St. Joseph News Press, April 19, 2002.

Jimmy Myers, “Bids In, but Not Funding for Park,” St. Joseph News Press, Aug. 21, 2002.

Patty Scully, “Midtown Park Slated to Receive $297,350 Boost from City Funds,” St. Joseph News Press, Nov. 16, 2002.

Alonzo Weston, “Park Dream Continues Despite Loss,” St. Joseph News Press, July 16, 2003.

“Ex-Globetrotter to be at John Lucas Event,” St. Joseph News Press, Oct. 16, 2003.

Alonzo Weston, “More Work to Start at Lucas Park,” St. Joseph News Press, Dec. 15, 2003.

“Vision Fills this Park,” St. Joseph News Press, Dec. 19, 2003.

Alonzo Weston, “Community Participation can Make a Winner of John Lucas Park,” St. Joseph News Press, Jan. 14, 2004.

Jonathan Houghton, “Celebrating a Culture,” St. Joseph News Press, June 10, 2005.

Alonzo Weston, “Santa May Have Gift for Park,” St. Joseph News Press, Oct. 16, 2006.

Alonzo Weston, “Work Set to Begin on Midtown Park After Three Years of Delays,” St. Joseph News Press, April 3, 2007.