Pittsburg Scenes - Parks
   
Lincoln Park
Bounded by 9th on the South, N. Catalpa on the East,
12th on the North & Georgia on the West
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Lincoln Park
- no postmark (c1907-1914)
Children's Playground
- no postmark (c1907-1914)
Shooting the Chutes
- no postmark (c1907 - 1914)
Scene in Lincoln Park
- no postmark (c1907 - 1914)
"Scene in Lincoln Park"
- no postmark (c1907-1914)
 
 
         
Chautauqua Pavilion
- postmarked 1908
"One of the Beauty Spots"
- postmarked 1913
New Municipal Swimming Pool
- no postmark (c1915 - 1930)
"Children's Play Area"
- photo 1915
"Creek in Lincoln Park"
- photo 1915
 
 
       
     
"Stream through Lincoln Park"
- postmarked 1921
Lincoln Park
- postmarked 1922
     
 
 
Lincoln Park began as a gathering place for Union veterans of the Civil War to host annual meetings and events.  The Grand Army of the Republic or G. A. R. as they were called, had been holding their annual meetings in Baxter Springs, but a local group of veterans decided they wanted to move those events to Pittsburg. Simon H. Lanyon offered to sell them a piece of land in the northwest part of the town, that was bordered on the east by Catalpa, on the west by Georgia, on the north by Twelfth and on the south by Ninth Streets. They decided to purchase the land and named it Lincoln Park after President Abraham Lincoln. In 1906, the veterans were aging and the upkeep cost of the park was becoming too much for the surviving soldiers to afford.  The veterans decided to offer to sell the park to the city of Pittsburg for a city park. They offered the park to the city for $7,000, the amount that the GAR still owed on the original purchase price. Some citizens of Pittsburg felt that taxes would have to be raised to pay for the purchase and maintenance of the park, so spoke out against what some considered an expensive luxury for the small town.  The city ended up buying the park and adding it to the cities park system. In 1915, the park grew by 14 acres. A tract of land north of the park boundaries contained a large amount of trees, which its owner had proposed chopping down and selling to mine companies for use in their coal mine operations. But William H. Lanyon, brother of Simon H. Lanyon, who was mayor at the time persuaded the other city leaders into purchasing the land to save the trees from destruction. So on May 28, 1915, the area that contains the ball diamonds today was added to the park. Several more additions were made within the next ten years. T. C. Helm, Harry Rogers, J. T. Moore and I. H. Cole donated a small tract of land on the northern edge to the city in 1916.  A few years later, R. G and J. J. Nesch, donated land on the east from part of their brick business, Nesch Bricks. Then again in 1924, W. J. True, J. T. Moore, R. E. Carlton and A. H. Greef donated several acres of land to the east. Not long after the original purchase of the park by the city in 1906, the city hired renowned Kansas City architect, George E. Kessler, to develop a design plan for the park. Kessler had designed Hyde Park and the park and boulevard system in Kansas City and had been the chief architect and designer of the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis.  He laid out the roads, trails, playgrounds and locations for various structures including the park auditorium and bandstand. In 1936 there was a movement by the city to redesign and improve the park by adding several new items including a Rose Garden, Lily Pond, Greenhouses and off street parking. Some of the improvements were completed but most weren't seen until more land was aquired north of 12th street where the ball diamonds are today. Click here to see the design and article about the proposed improvements. The auditorium was started on Aug 18, 1910 and dedicated the weekend of Aug 13-15, 1911. It had a large porch with columns wrapped around the outside, which were removed during a remodel of the auditorium in the 1970’s. In the 1950’s a swimming pool and wading pool were added on the south side of the park. These were removed and replaced with a much larger water park style swimming pool in the late 1990’s. Kiddie-Land a small amusement park was added in the 1960’s and is still there. A golf course was added to the northwest end of the park in the 1970’s.
 
 
       
Auditorium, Lincoln Park
- no postmark (c1907-1914)
Entrance to Auditorium
- no postmark (c1907-1914)
Auditorium, Lincoln Park
- postmarked 1912
Entrance to Lincoln Park
- postmarked 1912
Auditorium, Lincoln Park
- postmarked 1913
 
 
       
"Approach to the Auditorium"
- postmarked 1913
Auditorium, Lincoln Park
- photo circa 1940's
Panaramic View of Auditorium in Lincoln Park
- photo 1915
Auditorium, Lincoln Park
- no postmark (c1915-1930)
 
 

"At their regular weekly meeting yesterday afternoon the contract for the construction of the auditorium in Lincoln Park was let by the mayor and city commissioners. The contract for this work was awarded to S. S. Geatches, of this city. Mr. Geatches bid was $16,486. This bid was over $2,000 lower than any other bid submitted. There were two other bids on the construction of the auditorium one submitted by G. W. Gaines and one by Asa Messenger, both being resident contractors.

The work on the auditorium will begin immediately. Mr. Geatches this morning ordered the steel that is to go into the building and the excavating for the foundations will be started in a few days. It is hoped that the auditorium will have been completed within five months from the beginning of the work, or along near the beginning of next year.
The bids for the auditorium were then opened. The bid of G. W. Gaines was $18,425; that of Asa Messinger [sic] $18,250; that of S. S. Geatches, $16,486; Mr. Geatches' bid being lowest, he was awarded the contract. There are several items of expenses in the construction of the auditorium some of which may be dispensed with by the Park Board. These include porch columns, porch floors, reducing the heighth of foundation under the main wall, etc., omitting box girders, and making a few other slight changes in the plans. The bid of Mr. Geatches is for the auditorium without any of the changed mentioned. If these changes were to be made, the cost of construction would be considerably lessened although the features mentioned would add greatly to the beauty and the efficiency of the structures, especially the porch columns.

The auditorium will be 147 feet, 6 inches in length and 98 feet, 6 inches in width. It will be nearly 30 feet in heighth at, the comb of the roof measured from the cement floor. Under the structure will be a commodious basement. The floor and the foundation work is to be constructed entirely of reinforced concrete. The walls will be made of the finest grade of brick.

The capacity of the building will be about 1500 persons. There will be a large auditorium and a gallery extending three-fourths of the way around the building. The stage will be at the north end of the structure.

The stage will be more than 24 feet in width and will have an ample depth.

The auditorium will be situated in the open space of ground just west and across the run from the present pavilion in Lincoln park. The entrance to the building will be from the south of the stage being at the north end of the structure. With the large porch that is to be included in the structure, there will be accommodations for almost double as many people as could secure seats in the auditorium room and the balcony alone. Between these columns there will be swinging doors that can be opened either way and when these are opened it will allow a view of the interior of the building that will be almost as good as if the person were in the building itself.

The auditorium will be used for Chautauqua assemblies, and all other forms of public entertainment. The building can be used in winter as well in the summer, as arrangements will be made for heating the structure.

The commissioner of parks, Frank Cumiskey, deserves considerable credit for the close attention he has given the matter ever since the time the plans for the auditorium were first made. Through Mr. Cumiskey's superintendancy the work of improvement at the park has been going forward rapidly and before this work has been completed Lincoln Park will be one of the nicest city parks anywhere in the country.

The auditorium itself will be the crowning feature of the improvements at the park. Mr. Cumisky has not rested, satisfied with the plans for this big structure until he was sure that every detail of the matter was right." "Commission Let Contract For Auditorium," Thursday Evening, August 18, 1910, p1, c3-4, p2, c4.

 
 

 

 

updated July 2013

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