Wickham Park (Manchester, Connecticut) facts for kids

Wickham Park is a special park in Manchester, Connecticut. A small part of it is also in East Hartford. It's a big park, about 280 acres, filled with beautiful gardens, open fields, forests, and ponds. You can also find picnic spots and sports areas here.

Park History

About 130 acres of the park were a gift from a man named Clarence Horace Wickham. Later, in 1967, Myrtle Williams gave another 67 acres. She owned land right next to the park. The first plans for the park were drawn up by a famous design company called Olmsted Associates.

Clarence Wickham was a clever businessman. He invented the window envelope, which is the kind of envelope with a clear part to show the address inside. He ran a very successful envelope business with his father, Horace John Wickham. Clarence also helped start the Wickham Memorial Library in East Hartford.

Today, Bank of America helps pay for the park's upkeep. They use money from a special fund that Clarence Wickham set up.

Cross Country Running at Wickham Park

High School Races

Wickham Park is a famous place for high school cross country running. Every year, it hosts big races like the Connecticut State Class Championships and the State Open Championships. There's also a special race called The Wickham Invitational.

In 2006, the running course was changed. It was made more like a true cross country course, with more trails and fewer roads. The 5-kilometer (about 3.1 miles) course at Wickham Park is known for "The Green Monster." This is a very tough hill that runners face about halfway through the race. The finish line is also a little bit uphill.

After the course changes in 2006, the fastest high school runners started finishing the race in just under 16 minutes. Before that, winning times were usually quicker, around 15 minutes and 25 seconds. This change happened because a big part of the course was moved onto a wood-chip trail.

The fastest boy to run the course since 2006 is Alex Ostberg. He finished in 14 minutes and 58 seconds. The fastest girl is Kate Wiser, who set her record of 17 minutes and 39 seconds in 2019.

Summer Running Series

A running club from Manchester, called the Silk City Striders, holds a Summer Grand Prix Cross Country Race Series at Wickham Park. This has been a yearly event since 1991. The series has five race days in July and August. It includes a one-mile race for children and a 2.6-mile race for older runners.