Cascades Park (Tallahassee) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
|
|
Cascades Park
|
|
New park in 2015
|
|
 Location in Florida
Location in the United States
|
|
| Location | Tallahassee, Florida |
|---|---|
| NRHP reference No. | 71000239 |
| Added to NRHP | 12 May 1971 |
Cascades Park is a large, beautiful park in Tallahassee, Florida. It covers about 24 acres (97,000 square meters). The park is located along a stream called the St. Augustine Branch. It sits just south of the Florida State Capitol building.
This park is a very important place. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This is because it helped leaders decide where to build Florida's capital city. The park also has a special marker. This marker is the starting point for mapping almost all land in Florida!
The park you see today opened in 2014. Before that, it had to be closed for a while. This was because of old pollution from a gas plant that used to be there. The park was cleaned up with help from the Department of Environmental Protection. Now, it has many cool features. These include the Capital City Amphitheater, a fun fountain with lights and music, and splash pads. There are also ponds, a boulder climbing area, and an outdoor classroom called Discovery at Cascade Park.
Contents
History of Cascades Park
In 1821, Florida became part of the United States. A new government was set up for the area. However, the two biggest cities, Pensacola and St. Augustine, were too far apart. Neither could be a good capital city.
So, the governor, William Pope Duval, chose two people. One was from Pensacola and one from St. Augustine. Their job was to find a spot roughly halfway between the two cities. They needed to pick a place for the new capital. When they saw a beautiful waterfall in what is now Cascades Park, they knew they had found the right spot. They chose a nearby hill for the future city of Tallahassee.
John Lee Williams, one of the people who chose the spot, wrote about the waterfall. He described a stream that dropped about 20 or 30 feet (6 to 9 meters) into a huge hole. This area was special.
The Florida State Capitol building is about a quarter mile northwest of where the waterfall and sinkhole were. In the past, this area was a meeting place for hunters and travelers. Later, in the early 1900s, it was home to Centennial Field. This field was used for minor league baseball and football games. There was also a memorial for the Korean War here. In 1971, Governor Reubin Askew and the Florida Cabinet officially recognized how important the park was.
Why the Park Needed Cleaning
From 1895 to the late 1950s, a gas plant operated in the southwest part of the park. This plant made gas from coal. During its normal work, the plant created a waste product called coal tar. This coal tar was not useful, so it was simply thrown away.
This waste contained harmful chemicals. These chemicals were found in the park's soil and groundwater. While the chemicals did not spread far, they were a problem right at the site.
Also, a landfill was located on the southern edge of the park. This landfill was used to get rid of city trash. It was meant for things like tree branches at first. But later, other trash was put there. This included building waste, car parts, and ash from the city's trash burner.
Making the Park Safe Again
In 2005, the city made a plan to clean up the park. The plan was to dig up over 70,000 tons of polluted soil. This soil was then taken to a special landfill far away. Workers also removed about three inches (76 mm) of dirt from 950 feet (290 meters) of the stream. They put a protective layer under the stream. A clay cap was also placed over a large part of the old landfill.
The cleanup project was finished in 2014. Now, Cascades Park is a wonderful place for everyone to enjoy. It has an outdoor amphitheater for shows. There are also paths for biking and walking. You can find historical monuments too. A special play area for children includes an outdoor classroom. Other fun parts of the park are an interactive fountain, a waterfall, and several ponds. These ponds also help manage rainwater and reduce flooding in the area.
-
Postcard of Cascades Park (1912)
-
Cleanup work in progress (May 2006)
-
Cleanup completed (2014)
-
Capital City Amphitheater (May 2015)
Images for kids
-
Agapanthus flowers below the waterfall (2021)
