Kitchell Park is a park which is listed on the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

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 park is in the city of

Pana, Illinois Pana is a small town in Christian County, Illinois, United States. A small portion is in Shelby County. The population was 5,199 at the 2020 census. History The area around Pana was first organized as Stone Coal Precinct in 1845. The county's ...

, located in

Christian County Christian County is the name of several counties in the United States: * Christian County, Illinois * Christian County, Kentucky * Christian County, Missouri Christian County is located in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Missouri. ...

. A facility, Kitchell is one of the city's main parks. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1992.

History

Kitchell Park was given to the city of Pana by John W. Kitchell and his wife Mary Little Kitchell in 1908. It is home to several unique and old features. The round Chautauqua Pavilion was built in 1911 and has attracted such speakers as

William Jennings Bryan William Jennings Bryan (March 19, 1860 – July 26, 1925) was an American lawyer, orator and politician. Beginning in 1896, he emerged as a dominant force in the History of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, running ...

, World War I hero

Sergeant York Alvin Cullum York (December 13, 1887 – September 2, 1964), also known as Sergeant York, was one of the most decorated United States Army soldiers of World War I. He received the Medal of Honor for leading an attack on a German machine ...

and

Billy Sunday William Ashley "Billy" Sunday (November 19, 1862 – November 6, 1935) was an American outfielder in baseball's National League and widely considered the most influential American evangelist during the first two decades of the 20th century. Bo ...

among others. The Schuyler Bridge was constructed entirely of concrete in 1910. The park's ornate main gate acted as the entrance booth for the Tri-County Fair which was held on park grounds from 1885 until it moved to its present fairgrounds in 1949. Part of the park's original horse track is still one of the main roads through the park. The story is that

Frank James Alexander Franklin James (January 10, 1843 – February 18, 1915) was a Confederate soldier and guerrilla; in the post-Civil War period, he was an outlaw. The older brother of outlaw Jesse James, Frank was also part of the James–Younger ...

of the Missouri Gang was starter and timekeeper at the track in his later years, after he was pardoned by authorities.City Parks: Kitchell Park
City of Pana. Archived fro

on March 10, 2007. Today the park is home to

tennis court A tennis court is the venue where the sport of tennis is played. It is a firm rectangular surface with a low net stretched across the centre. The same surface can be used to play both doubles and singles matches. A variety of surfaces can be u ...

s, a

disc golf Disc golf, also known as frisbee golf, is a flying disc sport in which players throw a disc at a target; it is played using rules similar to golf. Most disc golf discs are made out of polypropylene plastic, otherwise known as polypropene, which ...

course,

softball Softball is a game similar to baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Softball is played competitively at club levels, the college level, and the professional level. The game was first created in 1887 in Chicago by George Hanc ...

and

baseball diamond A baseball field, also called a ball field or baseball diamond, is the field upon which the game of baseball is played. The term can also be used as a metonym for a baseball park. The term sandlot is sometimes used, although this usually refers ...

s, a

swimming pool A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, paddling pool, or simply pool, is a structure designed to hold water to enable Human swimming, swimming or other leisure activities. Pools can be built into the ground (in-ground pools) or built ...

playground A playground, playpark, or play area is a place designed to provide an environment for children that facilitates play, typically outdoors. While a playground is usually designed for children, some are designed for other age groups, or people ...

s and a picnic area. The park's auditorium is the result of a deluge, 6.5 inches of rain, that fell on the area in 1910. It was felt that if the pavilion were to survive adequate shelter would need to be provided. At the time of its construction the auditorium was called one of the most modern in the nation with its seating capacity of 3,500 and 35 X stage. The auditorium was renovated in 1955 through funding from the Pana

Lions Club The International Association of Lions Clubs, more commonly known as Lions Clubs International, is an international non-political service organization established originally in 1916 in Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , ...

. New paint, a concrete floor and rewiring for the installation of 24 overhead lights were all included in the project.

Notes

External links

Saving Chautauqua: Pana residents rally to refurbish historic Kitchell Park pavilion
{{National Register of Historic Places Parks on the National Register of Historic Places in Illinois Protected areas of Christian County, Illinois Urban public parks National Register of Historic Places in Christian County, Illinois 1908 establishments in Illinois Protected areas established in 1908