![MacGregor Monument at MacGregor Park in Houston](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f6/MacGregor_Monument_at_MacGregor_Park_in_Houston.jpg)
MacGregor Park-Neagle Field is a park and baseball venue in the
Third Ward,
Houston, TX
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...
and the home field of the
Texas Southern Tigers
The Texas Southern Tigers represent Texas Southern University in Houston, Texas, in intercollegiate athletics. They field sixteen teams including men and women's basketball, cross country, golf, and track and field; women's-only bowling, soccer, ...
baseball team. The Tigers are a member of the
Southwestern Athletic Conference
The Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) is a collegiate athletic conference headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, which is made up of historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in the Southern United States. It participates in t ...
.
A 42-acre section of the park is owned by the
University of Houston
The University of Houston (UH) is a Public university, public research university in Houston, Texas. Founded in 1927, UH is a member of the University of Houston System and the List of universities in Texas by enrollment, university in Texas ...
.
Riverside Terrace
Riverside Terrace is a neighborhood in Houston, Texas, United States. It is along Texas State Highway 288 and north of the Texas Medical Center and located near Texas Southern University and University of Houston. There about 20 sections of Riversi ...
is adjacent to the park.
[Fairchild, Harwell, and MacDougal, p. 17.]
History
It was named after
Henry Frederick MacGregor, who was from
Derry, New Hampshire
Derry is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 34,317 at the 2020 census. Although it is a town and not a city, Derry is the most populous community in Rockingham County and the fourth most populous in the ...
and had ancestry from
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
.
[
MacGregor conceptualized a park in the area, with the Brays Bayou being used as a path from ]Hermann Park
Hermann Park is a urban park in Houston, Texas, situated at the southern end of the Museum District. The park is located immediately north of the Texas Medical Center and Brays Bayou, east of Rice University, and slightly west of the Third ...
to his new park; he died in 1923 before he could see the park completed. His estate gave the city government the money to establish the park,[Fairchild, Harwell, and MacDougal, p. 15.] and his widow, Elizabeth "Peggy" MacGregor, donated the land.[Fairchild, Harwell, and MacDougal, p. 16.] Will Hogg donated trees to form a World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
memorial, the War Mothers Memorial. The 1926 land survey was done by Howe & Wise, Engineers employee R. O. Bosworth. Hare & Hare developed the park throughout the mid-20th century.[ The current park has a focus on recreational activities while MacGregor's original vision emphasized it being a space for nature.][
Due to demographic changes in the mid-20th century, the surrounding areas became majority African-American.][ MacGregor Park was a popular gathering spot for African-American youth in the late 1980s and the early 1990s,][O'Hare, Peggy.]
Police try to limit cruising on MLK / Some in area dislike the traffic; others say it fosters community
" ''Houston Chronicle
The ''Houston Chronicle'' is the largest daily newspaper in Houston, Texas, United States. , it is the third-largest newspaper by Sunday circulation in the United States, behind only ''The New York Times'' and the ''Los Angeles Times''. With it ...
''. Monday April 16, 2001. A17. Retrieved on May 27, 2012. and they typically pursued recreation on Sundays. The police closed the park temporarily after a 1992 shooting. Andrew Dansby of the ''Houston Chronicle
The ''Houston Chronicle'' is the largest daily newspaper in Houston, Texas, United States. , it is the third-largest newspaper by Sunday circulation in the United States, behind only ''The New York Times'' and the ''Los Angeles Times''. With it ...
'' wrote in 2016 that "Those big Sundays never returned in quite the same way, though MacGregor remained a neighborhood touchstone."[
A hip hop show occurred in 2001.][ ]Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
The Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (TPWD) is a Texas state agency that oversees and protects wildlife and their habitats. In addition, the agency is responsible for managing the state's parks and historical areas. Its mission is to manage ...
gave a $1 million grant that resulted in a 2005 renovation. In 2009 the Parks To Standards program of the city government resulted in $600,000 worth of enhancements.[Fairchild, Harwell, and MacDougal, p. 18.] A car parade ending at MacGregor, called the SLAB parade, began in 2013.[
]
Features
The park has of land.[MacGregor Park]
" City of Houston. Retrieved on April 22, 2018. It has an outdoor basketball court, a disc-style golf course with 18 holes, a hike and bicycle trail that is long, a meeting room, a sports field with lighting, a swimming pool, and a weight room.[
]William Ward Watkin
William Ward Watkin (January 21, 1886 – June 24, 1952) was an architect primarily practicing in Houston, Texas. He was the founder of the Architecture Department of Rice University in 1912, and remained on the Rice faculty until his death ...
designed a memorial stone for MacGregor, located at the park.[
A statue of Peggy MacGregor as a young woman,][ made by ]Gutzon Borglum
John Gutzon de la Mothe Borglum (March 25, 1867 – March 6, 1941) was an American sculptor best known for his work on Mount Rushmore. He is also associated with various other public works of art across the U.S., including Stone Mountain in Georg ...
and commissioned by Henry MacGregor,[ was created in 1927; it was moved to the park and restored by the city government's Municipal Art Commission in 1997.][
John Wilkerson established the MacGregor Park Junior Tennis Program.][
]
Transportation
The METRORail
METRORail is the light rail system in Houston, Texas (United States). In , the system had a ridership of , or about per weekday as of . METRORail ranks as the second most-traveled light rail system in the Southern United States and the 12th ...
station MacGregor Park/Martin Luther King Jr. is in proximity to the park.
Cultural legacy
Andrew Dansby of the ''Houston Chronicle
The ''Houston Chronicle'' is the largest daily newspaper in Houston, Texas, United States. , it is the third-largest newspaper by Sunday circulation in the United States, behind only ''The New York Times'' and the ''Los Angeles Times''. With it ...
'' wrote that due to the park's use by sports figures and in hip-hop culture, "MacGregor Park has a storied place in Houston culture."[
Songs about MacGregor Park include the 1985 song "MacGregor Park" with writing attribution to Robert Harlan and by "the L.A. Rapper," as well as the 2015 song "MacGregor Park" by Fat Tony.][
]
See also
* List of NCAA Division I baseball venues
This is a list of stadiums that currently serve as the home venue for National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA NCAA Division I, Division I college baseball teams. Conference affiliations reflect those in the coming 2023 NCAA baseball season. ...
References
* Fairchild, John, Debbie Harwell, and Steph McDougal.
MacGregor Park, a Gift to Houston
" ''Houston History Magazine
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...
''. Volume 11, No. 3. pp. 15–19.
Notes
External links
MacGregor Park
- City of Houston
{{-
Parks in Houston
Third Ward, Houston
Baseball venues in Houston
Texas Southern University
Texas Southern Tigers baseball