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Elizabeth Park is a city park located in Hartford and
West Hartford, Connecticut West Hartford is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States, west of downtown Hartford. The population was 64,083 at the 2020 census. The town's popular downtown area is colloquially known as "West Hartford Center," or simply "The C ...
. It covers and is listed on the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
. The site was previously owned by financier Charles M. Pond of the
New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad , commonly known as The Consolidated, or simply as the New Haven, was a railroad that operated in the New England region of the United States from 1872 to December 31, 1968. Founded by the merger of ...
and Hartford National Bank, and a treasurer of
Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...
(1870–71). In 1894 he bequeathed his estate to the City of Hartford with the stipulation that it be named for his deceased wife, Elizabeth. The city took possession in 1897 and engaged the famed Olmsted and Son for landscaping. In 1904 the park's first superintendent,
Theodore Wirth Theodore Wirth (1863–1949) was instrumental in designing the Minneapolis system of parks. Swiss-born, he was widely regarded as the dean of the local parks movement in America. The various titles he was given included administrator of pa ...
, created its renowned Rose Garden (). It is the oldest municipal rose garden in the United States, currently containing about 15,000 bushes of 800 rose varieties. In the 1970s the city decided it could no longer afford the garden, and initially proposed plowing it under, until volunteers banded together and came to the rescue. In 1977 volunteers banded together with Vic Jarm (Park Superintendent at the time) to form the Friends of Elizabeth Park and save the Rose Garden. Their first mission was to raise $10,000 to replace many of the rose bushes that died from lack of care. Since then the Friends of Elizabeth Park have assisted the City of Hartford in maintaining the Rose Garden as well as the other horticultural gardens in the park and have raised funds for the restoration of the historic greenhouses and the Elizabeth Pond Memorial in 1997, also known as the Pond House Cafe. Most of the financial support for the park through the efforts of the FEP comes from individuals, the Ethel Donaghue Trust and the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving. Today the park encompasses many garden areas, pathways, century-old
Lord and Burnham Lord & Burnham was a noted American boiler and greenhouse manufacturer, and builders of major public conservatories in the United States. History The company began in 1849 when Frederick A. Lord, a carpenter, started building wood and glass gree ...
greenhouses, lawns, bowling greens, tennis courts, a picnic grove, and a scenic pond. The border between Hartford and West Hartford has moved since the park was established, with the odd result that one of Hartford's largest parks is now located primarily within the Town of West Hartford.


Image gallery

Image:Rose Garden and environs at Elizabeth Park, August 10, 2008.jpg, The Rose Garden, with the greenhouse in the background File:Dawn_Redwood_in_Elizabeth_Park,_West_Hartford,_CT_-_June_22,_2013.jpg, Dawn Redwood, June 2013 ''Pictured: Ed Richardson, who mapped the trees in Elizabeth Park.'' File:Kwanzan_Cherry_Tree_with_benches,_Elizabeth_Park,_West_Hartford,_CT_-_May_12,_2013.jpg, Kwanzan Cherry Tree, May 2013 File:Shagbark_Hickory_in_Elizabeth_Park,_West_Hartford,_CT_-_October_14,_2010.jpg, Shagbark Hickory, October 2010 File:Savatieri_Mono_Maple,_Elizabeth_Park,_West_Hartford,_CT_-_May_7,_2015.jpg, Savatieri Mono Maple, May 2015 File:Sourwood_Tree,_Elizabeth_Park,_West_Hartford,_CT_-_October_31,_2010.jpg, Sourwood Tree, October 2010 File:White_Oak_Tree,_Elizabeth_Park,_West_Hartford,_CT_-_September_25,_2013.jpg, White Oak, September 2013 File:Redbud_Tree,_Elizabeth_Park,_West_Hartford,_CT_-_May_12,_2015.jpg, Redbud Tree, May 2015 File:Kousa_Dogwood_Tree,_Elizabeth_Park,_West_Hartford,_CT_-_June_23,_2015.jpg, Kousa Dogwood, June 2015


See also

*
National Register of Historic Places listings in Hartford, Connecticut __NOTOC__ This is a list of properties on the National Register of Historic Places in Hartford, Connecticut. This is intended to be a complete list of the properties and districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Hartford, Connect ...
*
National Register of Historic Places listings in West Hartford, Connecticut __NOTOC__ This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in West Hartford, Connecticut. This is intended to be a complete list of the properties and districts on the National Register of Historic Places in West Hartford, Conne ...


References


Elizabeth Park
* Alicia Cornelio, ''Elizabeth Park: A Century of Beauty'', Donning Publishers, 2004. .
GardenSmart article


External links


Hartford Hawks facilities
{{Authority control Geography of Hartford, Connecticut West Hartford, Connecticut National Register of Historic Places in Hartford County, Connecticut Parks in Hartford County, Connecticut Gardens in Connecticut Tourist attractions in Hartford, Connecticut Parks on the National Register of Historic Places in Connecticut