MacGregor Park facts for kids
McGregor Park-Neagle Field is a cool park and baseball field located in the Third Ward area of Houston, Texas. It's the home base for the Texas Southern Tigers baseball team, who play in the Southwestern Athletic Conference. A part of this big park, about 42 acres, is actually owned by the University of Houston. The Riverside Terrace neighborhood is right next to the park.
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History of McGregor Park
The park is named after Henry Frederick MacGregor. He was from Derry, New Hampshire, and his family came from Northern Ireland. Henry MacGregor had a big idea for a park in this area. He imagined Brays Bayou as a path connecting Hermann Park to his new park. Sadly, he passed away in 1923 before his dream park was finished.
His family helped make his dream come true. His estate gave money to the city to build the park. His wife, Elizabeth "Peggy" MacGregor, also donated the land for it. Will Hogg donated trees to create a special memorial for World War I, called the War Mothers Memorial. The park was designed and developed over many years. While Henry MacGregor wanted it to be a natural space, today the park focuses more on fun activities.
In 2001, a hip hop show was held at the park. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department gave a $1 million grant, which helped renovate the park in 2005. In 2009, the city's Parks To Standards program added another $600,000 worth of improvements. A car parade, known as the SLAB parade, started in 2013 and ends at MacGregor Park.
What You Can Do at McGregor Park
The park covers a large area of about 82.79 acres (which is about 33.5 hectares). There are lots of things to do here! You can find an outdoor basketball court, an 18-hole disc golf course, and a hike and bike trail that is 1.25 miles (about 2 kilometers) long. The park also has a meeting room, a sports field with lights for evening games, a swimming pool, and a weight room.
There's a special memorial stone for Henry MacGregor in the park, designed by William Ward Watkin. You can also see a statue of Peggy MacGregor when she was young. This statue was made by Gutzon Borglum in 1927. It was later moved to the park and fixed up in 1997.
A person named John Wilkerson also started the MacGregor Park Junior Tennis Program, helping young people learn to play tennis.
Getting to McGregor Park
It's easy to get to the park using public transportation. The METRORail station called MacGregor Park/Martin Luther King Jr. is very close to the park.
McGregor Park's Cultural Importance
Andrew Dansby, a writer for the Houston Chronicle newspaper, said that MacGregor Park is very important in Houston's culture. This is because many sports figures have used the park, and it's also a big part of the city's hip-hop music scene.
Some songs have even been written about MacGregor Park! One is the 1985 song "MacGregor Park" by "the L.A. Rapper." Another is the 2015 song "MacGregor Park" by the rapper Fat Tony.
Images for kids
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Texas Southern Tigers baseball players salute the crowd gathered at MacGregor Park during a game in 2022
