Beloved by the people of Bolivar, the Dunnegan Memorial Park has been a staple in the community for the past 100 years.
On Tuesday, Feb. 28, a special ceremony was held to celebrate the park’s centennial anniversary, marking 100 years since Judge T.H.B. Dunnegan signed over the deed for the 44.2-acre property to the City of Bolivar on February 28, 1923.
Commemorating the occasion, Cay Sergent, president of the Polk County Genealogical Society, gave a presentation about the history and significance of the park.
Bolivar Mayor Chris Warwick also honored the legacy of the park and its former owner. Mayor Warwick said, “T.H.B. Dunnegan had an undeniable impact on Bolivar and Polk County. He served the community as mayor of Bolivar, a member of the board of education, a trustee of the Missouri Historical Society, a charter member of Bolivar’s Masonic lodge, and superintendent of Greenwood Cemetery. He also donated to the Polk County Library and many more causes. But, I would argue that of all of his gifts to the community, Dunnegan Memorial Park is one of the most significant.”
After the ceremony, a ribbon cutting event was held by the Bolivar Area Chamber of Commerce.
According to research compiled and collected by local historian Susan Sparks of Polk County Genealogical Society, Judge Dunnegan offered the park land, which had been known as Dunnegan’s Woods, to the City of Bolivar through the Commercial Club in 1920. Prior to that time, the land had been used for several years as a meeting location for local groups, old settlers’ picnics, and the Grand Army of the Republic.
“In March of 1921, the city council accepted the land and named it Dunnegan Memorial Park,” Sparks stated. “The City was responsible for the care and beautification of the new park. The first thing they did was hire a landscape gardener to map out the park and develop a plan of improvement.”
An article from a Bolivar Free Press article that was published on June 1, 1922 said that a plat of the land was made by the county surveyor, E.H. Newhart. It also states, “Judge T.H.B. Dunnegan, the owner of the park, and a dozen representative business men of Bolivar made a trip through the park. Judge Dunnegan led the way, showing the boundary lines of the park. Though 80 years old, the judge finished the trip showing less signs of fatigue than the younger men who accompanied him.”
When the landscaping plan was approved by the City, a “Park Working Day” was scheduled for June 23, 1922, inviting citizens to bring their tools for this all-day event, per Sparks’ research.
On Independence Day of 1922, Judge Dunnegan gave a formal presentation of the park at the public dedication ceremony. Accepting on behalf of the City was Mayor N.W. Maas.
As reported in a Bolivar Herald newspaper article from July 6, 1922, in Judge Dunnegan’s dedication speech, he said, “Realizing that as the years go that the people will more and more be in need of a breathing ground, and as my people have lived among this people from the earliest settlement of this county, I have concluded to donate this plot of ground to the City of Bolivar and Polk County as a public park to be known as Dunnegan Memorial Park, to the memory of all who have fallen and served in all of the wars in defense of our land and country[.] [A]nd to you, Mr. Mayor, I present this plot with the injunction that you and your successors preserve and beautify it for the use and pleasure of all the people.”
In 1925, electric street lamps were added to the park, along with water service and fencing.
A Bolivar Free Press article dating back to June 24, 1926 noted that Judge Dunnegan, who was president of the park board, reported an expenditure of $1,342.18 from the past year, in which most of the money was allocated to “preliminary improvements of the park — a log house for the keeper, and a chicken and smoke house; and material for a gateway.” The keeper of the park at the time was John Farmer, who would reside in the park, and as Sparks says, the gateway in front of the parks, was completed in 1928.
“During the summer of 1931, the drive through park was improved and included the draining of the lake so that the dam could be widened to a two-track width and concreted. A gravel swimming bar was added to the lake for the children,” Sparks adds.
She had also discovered that the octagon shelter house and bandstand, otherwise known as Pavilion 1, was built in 1933 by John Woskoski. The 1940s saw more additions, including cooking fireplaces, native stone tables and benches, a shuffleboard, oversized checkerboard, and more playground equipment.
In its current state, the park boasts many captivating features, including walking trails, gazebos, bridges, playground equipment, and the large pond. A gift of nature, the park has become a home to many geese, swans, peacocks squirrels, and other wildlife.
Years of history and time-honored memories have taken place at the park. Generations of families have passed through for family gatherings, public meetings, and other leisure activities to escape the hustle and bustle of town for an oasis of serenity and a piece of Bolivar’s treasured past.
In his speech at the ceremony on Tuesday, Mayor Warwick said, “In a public presentation in 1922, before the deed was officially signed over, Dunnegan said Polk County residents would need a 'breathing ground' in the years to come. He was right. And that’s exactly what he provided for generations upon generations of visitors. A place to relax, take a deep breath and enjoy the simple things in life. A place to spend time with family and friends. Thankfully, the beauty, the peacefulness and the significance of Dunnegan’s gift is not lost on us. We are immensely proud of Dunnegan’s gift — our crown jewel park — and what it has become over the past 100 years."
For more information about Dunnegan Memorial Park's rich history, visit Polk County Genealogical Research Facility at 120 E Jackson St. in Bolivar. To learn more about donations for picnic tables, park benches, and playground equipment in honor of the centennial milestone of the Dunnegan Memorial Park, contact Hannah Vodicka by email at hvodicka@bolivar.mo.us or by phone at 417-777-1215.
