September 16, 2018
#11 Chester I. Lewis Reflection Square Park – 205 E Douglas
Background: The park is named after Chester Lewis. He was a lawyer who became president of the Wichita chapter of the NAACP.
He also helped desegregate restaurants, swimming pools, aircraft companies, and local government agencies.
It’s an appropriate place as it was the site of the Woolworth’s Store, and Dockum Drug Store. Which was the location of one of the very first sit-ins in America in 1958. There’s a statue commemorating the event, you can see more about it in the pictures.
What we did: We walked around the park. It was warm this afternoon but the shaded pocket park was cool. There are a number of statues in the park and we took the time to check them out.
UPDATE: This park has been removed to make way for an entrance to a new school. We’ll keep you posted.
It looks like Lewis Park isn’t the only downtown park to disappear. It’s not an official Wichita park but it changed a vacant lot into a little downtown getaway.