The Edmundson Park Historic District is a nationally recognized

historic district A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries or jurisdictions, historic districts receive legal protection from c ...

located in Oskaloosa, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2007. At the time of its nomination it contained 52 resources, which included four

contributing buildings In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic distric ...

, six contributing sites, 19

contributing structures In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic distric ...

, and three

contributing objects In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic distric ...

. There were also 13 non-contributing buildings, five non-contributing sites, and two non-contributing structures. The park is an example of a Depression Era public works project that was constructed between 1936 and 1938 by the Works Progress Administration (WPA). James Depew Edmundson, an Iowa attorney who grew up in Oskaloosa, gave a $20,000 bequest to the city to establish a park. City engineer Don Russell saw the

New Deal The New Deal was a series of programs, public work projects, financial reforms, and regulations enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the United States between 1933 and 1939. Major federal programs agencies included the Civilian Cons ...

program as an opportunity to add value to the project. The park is the work of

landscape architect A landscape architect is a person who is educated in the field of landscape architecture. The practice of landscape architecture includes: site analysis, site inventory, site planning, land planning, planting design, grading, storm water manageme ...

Ray F. Wyrick. Its structures were designed in the rustic style that was promoted by the National Park Service between 1916 and 1942 for parks supported by all levels of government.

References

Protected areas established in 1936 Works Progress Administration in Iowa Rustic architecture in Iowa Oskaloosa, Iowa Protected areas of Mahaska County, Iowa National Register of Historic Places in Mahaska County, Iowa Parks on the National Register of Historic Places in Iowa Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Iowa Historic districts in Mahaska County, Iowa {{MahaskaCountyIA-NRHP-stub