- Bushnell Park
Bushnell Park in
Hartford, Connecticut is the oldest publicly fundedpark in theUnited States . It was conceived by the ReverenceHorace Bushnell in the mid-1850s at a time when the need for open public spaces was just starting to be recognized.Reverend Bushnell asked his good friend and Hartford native,
Frederick Law Olmsted , to design the layout of the park. Olmsted, however, was occupied at the time with the design of New York City'sCentral Park and had to decline the offer. Olmsted recommendedJacob Weidenmann , a Swiss-born landscape architect and botanist. Weidenmann's plan for the park included graceful paths and clusters of trees that shielded strollers from the sounds of the city, and enhanced the presence of the Park River which flowed through the park.Later additions to the park include the
Horace Wells Monument in 1875, sculpted byTruman Howe Bartlett ; theSoldiers and Sailors Memorial Arch , designed by George Keller in1886 to commemorate those who fought in theAmerican Civil War ; theCorning Fountain in 1899 with sculpture byJ. Massey Rhind ; the carousel in 1974; and the performance pavilion in 1995.As a result of seasonal flooding and especially after damage from the great flood of 1936, the Park River was buried in underground conduits, and a main feature of the park was lost. [http://www.hogriver.org/issues/v01n01/hog_river_history.htm] A pond was later added to return a water feature to the park. Today Bushnell Park is a focal point in downtown
Hartford and is the site of several festivals and music events each year.External links
* [http://www.bushnellpark.org/ Bushnell Park's Home Page]
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.