Independence Park is a 24-acre urban park at 300 Hawthorne Lane situated at the western end of the Elizabeth neighborhood in

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most popu ...

. The park was created in 1924 at the urging of Charlotte industrialist Daniel Augustus Tompkins, founder of the ''

Charlotte Observer ''The Charlotte Observer'' is an American English-language newspaper serving Charlotte, North Carolina, and its metro area. The Observer was founded in 1886. As of 2020, it has the second-largest circulation of any newspaper in the Carolinas. I ...

'', and is the oldest public park in Charlotte.Historic Landmarks Commission: Survey and Research Report on Independence Park
/ref> It is scheduled to reopen in October of 2022 after being closed for renovations that enhance accessibility and add permanent restrooms, among other improvements. Independence Park is split into two sections by Hawthorne Lane. Both sections lie below street level which gives the park a secluded and tranquil atmosphere, despite the fact that the site commands excellent views of the Charlotte skyline. The lower park contains a winding path, a rose garden, large, leafy trees, a reflecting pond, and a gazebo. The upper park contains more trails, a playground, several athletic fields, and the 300 seat Independence Park Stadium. Independence Park is the site in Charlotte of the

Afro-Caribbean Afro-Caribbean people or African Caribbean are Caribbean people who trace their full or partial ancestry to Sub-Saharan Africa. The majority of the modern African-Caribbeans descend from Africans taken as slaves to colonial Caribbean via the tr ...

themed Juneteenth Festival of the Carolinas on June 19 of each year.

Arhelger Memorial

In June 1931 a group of Girl Scouts from Charlotte was visiting Glen Burney Falls in

Blowing Rock, North Carolina Blowing Rock is a town in Watauga and Caldwell counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The population was 1,397 at the 2021 census. The Caldwell County portion of Blowing Rock is part of the Hickory–Lenoir– Morganton Metropoli ...

. One girl fell into the falls, and 21-year-old counselor Lillian Arhelger lost her life when she jumped in to save her. A memorial to the fallen hero was erected, and today the bronze and stone Lillian Arhelger Memorial, with its reflecting pool, is a prominent feature in the upper half of Independence Park.Story and photos of the Arhelger Memorial
/ref>

References

External links

Map of Independence Park
Parks in Charlotte, North Carolina {{MecklenburgCountyNC-geo-stub