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On the tiny strip of land between the Emporia Rec Center parking lot and the railroad tracks is Humbolt Park. I don’t know the history of this park, but it just occurred to me that PERHAPS this was a bigger park in the ’70s before the city used the land for the rec center. Does anyone know about that?
Anyway, there’s a picnic table here, a patch of iris, and the Emporia sign.
There’s a similar Emporia sign in Fremont Park, six or seven blocks to the east.
Roger Heineken sent information about Humbolt (Humboldt?) and Fremont Parks that he gathered during his Deep Map walk in Emporia last year. (Bottom of page 5 on that document.)
Cheryl – Humboldt park was a lot like Fremont Park with a band pavilion and everything. It seems like the city band concerts might have been at Humboldt, but I’m not quite sure of that. When I was in junior high at the Lowther South building in the early 1970s we used to walk down to Humboldt Park for PE class when we were doing archery. Also, that big concrete EMPORIA was buried in weeds and brush back then.
The recreation center was in an old building just across the street east from Lowther South and we’d walk over there to swim for PE class. I took swimming lesson there too. Just to the east of that in the Board of Ed building (which was the post office originally) we had Home Ec classes in the upper part of the back of the building and the shop classes were in the basement.
Fremont and Humbolt Parks were twin, square-block parks assigned by the town company in 1858 or 59. They were named in 1859. Previously in the city plan, two half-block wide, three block long twin parks were to flank Commercial between 6th and 12th Avenues. I don’t know why the change of shape and location. These two parks are named for explorers. While Fremont was the first anti-slavery Republican candidate for president in 1856, I believe his exploration of North America in 1849 to find a route for the transcontinental railroad is why his name is on the park. Alexander von Humboldt explored South America at least fifty years earlier. Humboldt died in 1859 when the parks were named. Humboldt, Kansas is also named for him.
Wonder if this park’s name is misspelled. Humbolt vs. Humboldt.
Anyway, thanks for the info Nancy and Roger!