"EYE SPY"

Eye Spy, Week Two
Memorial Park in Lincoln

 

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[August 12, 2020]    Last week’s Eye Spy adventure took us to Memorial Park in Lincoln. The large park was once the Lincoln Chautauqua. The Chautauqua was “a popular educational movement from 1902 to 1937.”

 


Taken from the memorial at the entrance to the park, “The grounds had approximately 100 private cottages with lights, water and indoor plumbing. Attendees could also rent tents. The grounds were home to a post office, a women’s building, dining hall and a Masonic headquarters. An expansive auditorium that seated 4,500 people was built by the Decatur Bridge Company in 1904 at a cost of $10,000. Speakers such as William Jennings Bryant and Billy Sunday often spoke in the auditorium. By 1925 the Lincoln Chatauqua was the largest in Illinois. The last complete Lincoln Chatauqua was held in 1937.”

Brainard Park was one of the hints last week featuring pictures of a stone fountain. The park was adjacent to the Chatauqua grounds during the same time period.

Thanks to Bill Donath, researcher for the Logan County Genealogical & Historical Society for helping us out with the fountain. Bill also tells us that the Historical Society has a map under glass of the entire Chatauqua compound as well as a great deal of historical information.

Today, the grounds are known as Memorial Park. The ball diamond is a popular playing spot. On the far side of the park the annual Shady Car Show brings a lot of beautiful cars and visitors to our community in the late summer.

The wooded areas are great for exploration, and there are two pavilions for family gatherings. If you’ve not been to the park, be sure to check it out. It is a wonderful place to visit.

The park is owned by the city of Lincoln and maintained by the Lincoln Park District.

 

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