Library Park, formerly known as The Commons, City Park, and Central Park, is a park in

Kenosha, Wisconsin Kenosha () is a city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the seat of Kenosha County. Per the 2020 census, the population was 99,986 which made it the fourth-largest city in Wisconsin. Situated on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan, Kenos ...

Ossian Cole Simonds Ossian Cole Simonds (November 11, 1855 – November 20, 1931), often known as O. C. Simonds, was an American landscape designer. He preferred the term 'landscape gardener' to that of 'landscape architect'. A number of Simonds' works are listed o ...

. It features a library and war memorial designed by

Daniel Burnham Daniel Hudson Burnham (September 4, 1846 – June 1, 1912) was an American architect and urban designer. A proponent of the '' Beaux-Arts'' movement, he may have been, "the most successful power broker the American architectural profession has ...

and a sculpture by

Charles Henry Niehaus Charles Henry Niehaus (January 24, 1855 — June 19, 1935), was an American sculptor. Education Niehaus was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, to German parents. He began working as a marble and wood carver, and then gained entrance to the McMicken ...

Description

When the town of Southport (the original name of Kenosha) was platted on October 30, 1838, a "Public Common" was reserved at Town Line Road and Kenosha Road. The land was donated by early settlers George Kimball and

Charles Durkee Charles H. Durkee (December 10, 1805January 14, 1870) was an American pioneer, Congressman, and United States Senator from Wisconsin. He was one of the founders of Kenosha, Wisconsin, and was a Governor of the Utah Territory in the last five ye ...

, who wanted the old oaks to be preserved. By 1849, a Park Society was formed by local women to improve the park; their main contribution was the addition of a lagoon. Following the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

, the park fell into disuse and the grounds were used as an in-town pasture.. With The city filled in the lagoon in 1884 after locals complained about frogs and mosquitoes. However, later in the year, a group formed to restore the park. In 1895, they built a bandstand at the northeast corner of the property. The park then became a popular shortcut to town and once again it became a popular public space as Central Park. Later that year, flower beds were planted and benches were installed. Ball playing and bicycling were prohibited. A committee formed in 1895 to investigate the possibility of constructing a public library. A small library opened in a room above a hardware store, but the collection quickly outgrew the small locale. In 1898, Zalmon G. Simmons donated funds for a new library in the center of Central Park. When the Gilbert M. Simmons Memorial Library was completed, the park became known as Library Park. Simmons also offered to provide the funding for a war memorial to honor those from Kenosha who fought in the Civil War. Both of these structures were designed by

and were dedicated on May 30, 1900. Although Burnham provided a list of suggestions for the landscape, Simmons instead hired Ossian Cole Simonds to re-plan the park. Simonds reinforced the naturalistic and informal style of the park. Businessman Orla Calkins donated a statue of a seated

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

, carved by

, in 1909. Originally just east of the Soldiers' Monument, it was moved to the northeastern corner of the park a few years later. The library was recognized by the

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propert ...

with a listing 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 ...

on December 17, 1974. On November 29, 1988, the park, Lincoln statue, and war memorial were listed as contributing properties to the Library Park Historic District. The park was individually listed as a site on the register on June 22, 2000.

References

{{reflist Geography of Kenosha County, Wisconsin Parks on the National Register of Historic Places in Wisconsin National Register of Historic Places in Kenosha County, Wisconsin Individually listed contributing properties to historic districts on the National Register in Wisconsin