#111 West Meadows Park – 1433 Parkridge
Background: Farmer Henry Schweiter hired an English landscape gardener to design and work on a picnic area for the farm that later became Linwood Park.
He donated the land to the city in 1887. The park is home to the Park Department Greenhouse and Nursery which are the only surviving New Deal buildings in the park.
Interesting note: deer, elk, and buffalo were once residents at Riverside Park, but in 1918, those animals were moved to Linwood Park. I have no idea what happened to them after the move. They are clearly not here anymore.
What we did: Jeremy had fond memories of Aley Pool and Park. My best pool memories aside from a friend’s aunt’s pool, were spent at Linwood. The pool sits empty right now due to covid, and it’s future is still in question by the city. We walked around the pool, and crazy enough, we both got a whiff of chlorine.
We also checked out the horseshoe pits. My next door neighbor is a national champion pitcher. The playground was similar to what we have seen around Wichita, but this one was bigger than most.
The picnic area hasn’t changed a bit. I remember a number of Cub Scout meetings sitting around the U-shaped picnic table. Speaking of great memories, the rec center was ground zero for Friday night fun. Organized night of games and hanging out with my elementary school friends. I wonder if they still do that? Special thanks to my hubby for getting me out of the house. I am developing a Covid-Crazy-Complex
A neighborhood park that is literally right in the middle of a neighborhood. It’s hard to spot from the street but worth the effort to find.