Quakertown ParkDenton, Texas

A Slideshow for 3rd-grade Students by Judi Moreillon

Denton Inquiry 4 Lifelong Learning

How have individual people, events, and ideas influenced the history our community?

• What can we learn about the history of our nation through a study of Quakertown Park?

• What can we learn about the history of our state through a study of Quakertown Park?

• What can we learn about the history of our city through a study of Quakertown Park?

Where is Quakertown Park located?

What do all the Quakertown Park signs mean?

Quakertown Park Sign

In the early 1880s, Quakertown emerged as a thriving African American community in the heart of Denton. Quakertown flourished through 1920, its growth due in part to its location near the city square and the opportunities it provided African Americans.

The community was bounded by Withers Street on the north, Oakland Avenue on the west, Bell Avenue on the east, and by Cottonwood and Pecan Creeks on the south. Although many of the residents worked for businesses on the nearby city square, at the College of Instructional Arts (now Texas Woman’s University), and as servants for white households, Quakertown prospered as a self-supporting community. Several churches, a physician’s office, lodges, restaurants, and small businesses joined homes to line the streets of the community. The neighborhood school, the Fred Douglass School, burned in September 1913 and was rebuilt along Wye Street in southeast Denton in 1916, foreshadowing events to come.

Quakertown Park Sign

By 1920, the proximity of Quakertown to the growing College of Industrial Arts and civic-minded interests of Denton’s white residents threatened the future of Quakertown. Many believed that it was in the best interest of the college and Denton community to transform Quakertown into a city park. In April 1921, with little input from its residents, the city voted 367 to 240 in favor of a bond to purchase Quakertown. More than 60 families lost their homes. The majority of the displaced residents relocated to southeast Denton on 21 acres of land, platted as Solomon Hill, sold to them by Rancher Albert L. Miles. Others, including many Quakertown community leaders, chose to leave Denton altogether. By February 1923, Quakertown had disappeared in the midst of the new park’s construction. Quakertown Park

Sign

Who plays in the park today? How do they play?

Civic Center Pool

The Civic Center Pool has a cool slide. The pool is open from Memorial Day to Labor Day. It opens at noon and closes at 6:00 p.m. on Monday through Saturday. On Sunday, it is open from 1:00 to 6:00 p.m. Children under two swim for free. It costs $2.25 for kids 2 to 17 and people 18 and older pay $3.00. If it rains and you have been swimming less than two hours, you can get a rain check pass.

Who uses the buildings in Quakertown Park? For what do they use them?

Emily Fowler Library

The Emily Fowler Library is one branch of the Denton Public Library system. From the Internet, you can search the catalog to find out what books and other resources are available. (You can change the

catalog to different languages!) On the website, you will also find information about storytimes and events. Check it out at: http://library.cityofdenton.com

Who made the art in the park? Why do communities put art in

parks?

In Memory of Betty Jane Blazier

1915 – 1964

Teacher and Friend of Children

This concrete sculpture is near the Senior Center. It has openings that children can crawl through and a bench where a person can sit. There is no plaque that indicates who the artist was who created the sculpture but there is a dedication to someone who was a “teacher and friend of

children.”

What can we learn about the creeks

in the park?

Two Creeks and Two Bridges

In Quakertown Park, there are two creeks – the Cottonwood Creek and the Pecan Creek. The creeks meet in the park and become one. There are also two bridges, one crosses over each of the creeks. The

Festival Bridge has a sign that says it was dedicated in July 1998. The bridges get very crowded during events held in the park.

Who takes care of the park? How do they do it?

Caring for Our Park

Quakertown Park belongs to everyone who lives in Denton. Some people are paid by the citizens of Denton to take care of the park. They mow the grass, take care of the plants, and remove the recycling and trash. Since the park belongs to everyone, everyone is

responsible for keeping the park clean. This is one way to show respect for each other and for our community.

Created by Judi Moreillon. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution–Noncommercial–Share Alike 2.5 License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/.

• All photographs in this presentation were taken by Judi Moreillon in December 2013

• All photo collages were created at PicMonkey.com

• Introductory Animoto Video at: http://animoto.com/play/aY7pAvQZvxRt5kE8XGmSOA

• Map Created at Google Maps: http://maps.google.com