Little Forest Park facts for kids

Little Forest Park, also known as Francis G. Newlands Park, is a quiet green space in Washington, D.C.. It's located in the Chevy Chase neighborhood, between 28th and 30th Streets NW. This park is about 8.78 acres (that's like 6.5 football fields!) and is managed by the National Park Service as part of Rock Creek Park. It's a special place that remains mostly natural and undeveloped.

Park History

Imagine Washington, D.C., way back in 1790. At that time, the land where Little Forest Park now stands was mostly farmland. Farmers grew crops like wheat and tobacco there. However, the park area itself was probably always a forest. It was too steep and rough for farming.

The land stayed as farmland until the late 1880s. In 1887, two important people, Francis G. Newlands and William Morris Stewart, started buying land. Newlands later became a politician, serving in the U.S. House of Representatives and then the U.S. Senate for the state of Nevada.

Newlands and Stewart created a company called the Chevy Chase Land Development Company. They used this company to develop new neighborhoods. These included parts of Chevy Chase, Washington, D.C. and Chevy Chase, Maryland.

In 1939, Edith McAllister Newlands, who was Senator Newlands' wife, passed away. She left three acres of land to the District of Columbia. She called this land her "little forest" and wanted it to be a memorial to her husband.

In 1942, her estate officially gave this property to the District. At the same time, her daughters also gave an additional 5.7 acres of land. This made the park the size it is today.

In 1948, all this land was transferred to the National Park Service. The condition was that it would always be kept as a memorial to Senator Newlands. It continues to be a memorial to him even now.

As of 2011, the National Park Service officially lists the park as Little Forest - Formerly Francis G. Newlands Park.

What You'll Find There

Little Forest Park is mostly undeveloped. This means it's kept very natural, like a small forest. You won't find playgrounds or big sports fields here. Instead, there are a couple of walking trails. Local residents created these trails to enjoy the natural beauty of the park. It's a great spot for a quiet walk and to experience nature right in the city.