Joe Creason Park facts for kids

Joe Creason Park is a fun public park in Louisville, Kentucky, in the United States. It's located in the central part of the city, right next to the Beargrass Creek State Nature Preserve. Both the park and the preserve used to be part of the same big property! The park opened in 1966.

The park is named after Joe Creason, a popular newspaper writer for The Courier-Journal. He sadly passed away in 1974 while playing tennis at the park's Louisville Tennis Center.

Park History: From Farms to Fun

This park has a long and interesting past! Back in 1789, two people named Joseph Kinney and Basil Prather bought the land. They each built a house on their part of the property.

Early Owners and Big Changes

Kinney's land was called Fox Hill. It was owned by several different people over the years. From 1885 to 1894, John B. Castleman, a local real estate investor, owned the property and called it Castleford. Later, in 1937, Ben Collings bought the land and renamed it Colonial Farms.

The land owned by Basil Prather was divided after he passed away. Many people owned parts of it over the years. During World War I, some of this land was used for a temporary military camp called Camp Taylor. After the war, Ben Collings bought all these pieces of land and put them back together.

How the Park Was Created

By the time Ben Collings passed away in 1951, he owned almost 200 acres (about 0.8 square kilometers) of land. This included much of what is now the Louisville Zoo. His wife sold some of the land to private groups and the local church.

In 1966, the city of Louisville bought 68 acres (about 0.28 square kilometers) of this land from Bellarmine College. This purchase included the large mansion that is still there today. Before it became a park, the land was used as a horse farm and even had some fruit trees. A very old graveyard from the Prather family is still on the property.

The Mansion's Story

The original farmhouse on the property burned down. So, in 1944, Ben Collings built the current park mansion. He wanted to make sure it wouldn't burn down again! He had it built with very thick concrete walls and floors. It also has a strong copper and slate roof. Because it's so sturdy, the mansion is now used as the main office for Louisville Metro Parks.

Park Events

In 1982, a big event called the National Recreation and Park Association conference was held at Joe Creason Park.

What You Can Do at Joe Creason Park

Joe Creason Park has lots of cool features for everyone to enjoy!

Louisville Tennis Center

One of the most famous parts of the park is the Louisville Tennis Center. Many famous tennis players have competed here! This includes 25 players who have won major championships, like Arthur Ashe, Rod Laver, Jimmy Connors, Billie Jean King, and John McEnroe. The center has 11 clay tennis courts. There's also seating for 400 people and a clubhouse.

Paths and Play Areas

In 2007, a paved path was added to the park. It's about 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometers) long and is great for walking, running, or biking.

The park also has a fun playground for kids. There's a picnic shelter where families can gather. You'll also find a large field that's perfect for playing soccer.