Elmwood Park is located in the southwestern portion of

Syracuse Syracuse may refer to: Places Italy *Syracuse, Sicily, or spelled as ''Siracusa'' *Province of Syracuse United States *Syracuse, New York **East Syracuse, New York **North Syracuse, New York *Syracuse, Indiana * Syracuse, Kansas *Syracuse, Miss ...

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. The park was originally built and opened as a privately owned park in 1893. It is significant as an example of such parks from the Pleasure Ground Era. After the site was purchased by the city of Syracuse in 1927, bridges, embankments, walls and stairs built of wood and stone were added, making the park also representative of the Reform Park Era. The park was added to 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 ...

in 2005.

History

Earliest records from 1796 show transfer of land title from Elliot Herrin to Comfort Tyler. Dating back to 1806, a furnace was constructed on the site to cast shot and shells and the park was the location of a battle in the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

. The land was first developed over 17 acres in 1893 by William Pardee as ''"First Class Temperance Pleasure Resort"'', which offered family friendly entertainment with facilities such as swan boats operating in two man-made lakes, a merry-go-round, picnic shelters, dance pavilions, a rifle range, a restaurant, concessions, and the natural attractions of bluffs, stream and wildflowers. It opened on

Decoration Day Memorial Day (originally known as Decoration Day) is a federal holiday in the United States for mourning the U.S. military personnel who have fought and died while serving in the United States armed forces. It is observed on the last Monda ...

(Memorial Day), May 29, 1893. In May 1896, Pardee sold the resort to

Billy McGlory William McGlory (born McGrory; 1850–1927) was an American saloon keeper and underworld figure in New York City during the mid-to late 19th century. He was well known in The Bowery and Five Points districts, owning a number of popular establishm ...

, a saloon keeper and underworld figure in

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. McGlory renamed the place ''" “Elmwood Elysium"'' and attempted to run it from May 1896 but finally closed it on June 21, 1899. McGlory faced intense backlash from the temperance crowd and was driven away after relentless opposition from the locals. After his left, the park was briefly reopened as Dreamland Park, but that failed, and it was left to grow wild. In 1909, a fire burned down many of its old buildings. In 1927, the city purchased the land and Elmwood was developed into a park, with stone bridges, walls, and stairs to enhance the natural features. an
''Accompanying 9 photos''
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Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

, the work relief crews planted of 10,000 nursery plants donated by

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York. Established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the university has been nonsectarian since 1920. Locate ...

’s

College of Forestry This is a list of tertiary educational institutions around the world offering bachelor's, master's or doctoral degrees in forestry or related fields. Where noted, the country's accreditation board standard has been used and cited. They are gro ...

Gallery

Image:ElmwoodParkStoneMill.jpg, 1830s stone mill Image:FurnaceBrookDam.jpg, Furnace Brook Dam Image:ElmwoodParkBridge.jpg, One of two remaining stone bridges over Furnace Brook Image:ElmwoodParkBridge2.jpg, The second remaining stone bridge Image:ElmwoodParkWall.jpg, One of many stone retaining walls Image:ElmwoodParkStairs1.jpg, One of thirteen stone stairways Image:ElmwoodParkStairs2.jpg, Another stairway Image:ElmwoodParkStairs3.jpg, Another stairway Image:ElmwoodParkGateposts.jpg, Gateposts at east entrance

References

External links

* Parks in Syracuse, New York History of Syracuse, New York National Register of Historic Places in Syracuse, New York Parks on the National Register of Historic Places in New York (state) 1893 establishments in New York (state) {{OnondagaCountyNY-NRHP-stub