Palestine Park is a
scale model
A scale model is a physical model which is geometrically similar to an object (known as the prototype). Scale models are generally smaller than large prototypes such as vehicles, buildings, or people; but may be larger than small prototypes ...
of the
Holy Land
The Holy Land; Arabic: or is an area roughly located between the Mediterranean Sea and the Eastern Bank of the Jordan River, traditionally synonymous both with the biblical Land of Israel and with the region of Palestine. The term "Holy ...
, including cities, hills, rivers, and seas, in approximately correct geographical relation on the grounds of
Chautauqua Institution in
Chautauqua, New York. Palestine Park is laid out along the southwestern side of
Chautauqua Lake, which takes the place of the
Mediterranean Sea. This creates a rotated version of the actual land, which is on the east coast of the Mediterranean. A large mound of stones represents
Mount Hermon, with an artificial stream representing the
Jordan River
The Jordan River or River Jordan ( ar, نَهْر الْأُرْدُنّ, ''Nahr al-ʾUrdunn'', he, נְהַר הַיַּרְדֵּן, ''Nəhar hayYardēn''; syc, ܢܗܪܐ ܕܝܘܪܕܢܢ ''Nahrāʾ Yurdnan''), also known as ''Nahr Al-Shariea ...
as it flows south from the
Sea of Galilee
The Sea of Galilee ( he, יָם כִּנֶּרֶת, Judeo-Aramaic: יַמּא דטבריא, גִּנֵּיסַר, ar, بحيرة طبريا), also called Lake Tiberias, Kinneret or Kinnereth, is a freshwater lake in Israel. It is the lowest ...
to the
Dead Sea
The Dead Sea ( he, יַם הַמֶּלַח, ''Yam hamMelaḥ''; ar, اَلْبَحْرُ الْمَيْتُ, ''Āl-Baḥrū l-Maytū''), also known by other names, is a salt lake bordered by Jordan to the east and Israel and the West Bank ...
. Small hills represent biblical landmarks such as
Mount Tabor and the
Mount of Olives, with markers representing sites of biblical significance including
Jacob's Well,
Jericho
Jericho ( ; ar, أريحا ; he, יְרִיחוֹ ) is a Palestinian city in the West Bank. It is located in the Jordan Valley, with the Jordan River to the east and Jerusalem to the west. It is the administrative seat of the Jericho Gove ...
,
Bethsaida
Bethsaida (; from gr, Βηθσαϊδά from Hebrew/Aramaic ''beth-tsaida'', lit. " house of hunting" from the Hebrew root ; ar, بيت صيدا), also known as Julias, is a place mentioned in the New Testament. Julias lay in an administrative d ...
and a scale model of
Jerusalem in the time of
Jesus complete with a
small replica of the ancient Jewish Temple.
The park was one of Chautauqua's first landmarks. In 1874, Chautauqua founder Rev.
John Heyl Vincent gave his friend Dr. W. W. Wythe the task of laying out Palestine Park as a visual aid for teaching
Biblical history and geography to the
Sunday School
A Sunday school is an educational institution, usually (but not always) Christian in character. Other religions including Buddhism, Islam, and Judaism have also organised Sunday schools in their temples and mosques, particularly in the West.
Su ...
teachers that were Chautauqua's first visitors. In the nineteenth century, people arrived at Chautauqua via ferryboats and disembarked at Palestine Park so that their first footsteps were on the Holy Land as though they were pilgrims going up to Jerusalem; an actual journey to the Land of Israel was well beyond the financial ability of most Americans in that era.
[Chautauqua America, Peter Feinman, The American Interest, Vol V, no. 5, May/June 2010, pp. 83-8.]
The park has been reconstructed many times over the years. The present Palestine Park is 350 feet long with a scale of to . The park is a
contributing property
In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic distri ...
in the
Chautauqua Institution Historic District.
There are educational guided tours through the park each Sunday and Monday at 7 p.m. (weather permitting) during Chautauqua's nine-week summer season.
References
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Chautauqua Institution
Historic district contributing properties in New York (state)
Miniature parks
National Register of Historic Places in Chautauqua County, New York
Parks on the National Register of Historic Places in New York (state)