Palestine Park facts for kids
Palestine Park is a special outdoor model of the Holy Land. It is located in Chautauqua, New York. This park shows important places like cities, hills, rivers, and seas. Everything is placed in its correct geographical spot. It's like seeing a mini version of a whole country!
Contents
What is Palestine Park?
Palestine Park is a scale model of the Holy Land. It is built on the grounds of Chautauqua Institution. The park shows how the land looks, with tiny versions of cities, hills, rivers, and seas. Everything is placed just like it would be on a real map.
The park is next to Chautauqua Lake. This lake acts as the Mediterranean Sea in the model. This means the park is a bit rotated compared to the real Holy Land. A large pile of stones stands for Mount Hermon. A small stream flows through the park. This stream represents the Jordan River. It flows from the Sea of Galilee down to the Dead Sea.
Famous Places in Miniature
You can find tiny hills that represent famous biblical places. These include Mount Tabor and the Mount of Olives. There are also markers for important sites. These markers show places like Jacob's Well, Jericho, and Bethsaida. The park even has a small model of Jerusalem. This model shows Jerusalem as it looked during the time of Jesus. It includes a tiny copy of the ancient Jewish Temple.
Why Was Palestine Park Built?
Palestine Park was one of the first important places at Chautauqua. In 1874, a founder of Chautauqua, Rev. John Heyl Vincent, asked his friend Dr. W. W. Wythe to create the park. Its main purpose was to help teach Biblical history and geography. It was especially useful for Sunday school teachers.
In the 1800s, most people could not afford to travel to the real Holy Land. So, when visitors arrived at Chautauqua by ferryboat, they would step off right into Palestine Park. It was like they were pilgrims arriving in Jerusalem. This made learning about the Bible much more real for them.
The Park Today
Palestine Park has been rebuilt many times over the years. The park you see today is 350 feet long. Its scale is 21 inches for every 1 mile of real land. The park is an important part of the Chautauqua Institution Historic District. This means it is recognized for its historical value.
You can take educational guided tours through the park. These tours happen every Sunday and Monday at 7 p.m. They are available during Chautauqua's nine-week summer season, if the weather is good.
