The current Overton Park, once known locally as Lea’s Woods, was purchased by Memphis on November 14, 1901, for $110,000 (equivalent to $4,029,000 in 2023 and eventually established as Overton Park in 1906.

Around 1900, renowned Landscape architect George Kessler envisioned a “Greensward Plan” and an arboretum of stunning trees for Overton Park in a comprehensive plan.   Natural vistas were preserved.  Park Friends works to preserve Kessler’s original vision of Overton Park with nature as the primary focus, all the way to the edge of the Park.

Kessler’s designs resulted in the 342-acre public park located in the eastern most section of Evergreen Historic District Association in Midtown Memphis.  The Old Forest of Overton Park represents one of the few remaining old growth forests in any U.S. metropolitan city.   Overton Park is Memphis’s version of New York City’s famed Central Park.  It is no coincidence that Kessler’s mentor, Frederick Law Olmstead, designed Central Park and an inspired Kessler worked in Memphis for 15 years, designing Overton Park, the Parkways and other Parks in our City.

Peril arose for Overton Park in the 1960s and 1970s when the United States Department of Transportation and others slated 26 of the Park’s 342 acres for demolition to build Interstate 40 straight through the Park.  Midtown residents including a group appropriately called the Ladies in Tennis Shoes challenged the I-40 plan in Federal Court with success in a landmark case before the United States Supreme Court in 1971.

In 1978, the National Register of Historic Places added Overton Park to its roster, guaranteeing that federal funding could not be used to damage the Park’s historic integrity.   Without approval from the U.S. Department of the Interior, Federal funding could not be used for projects that damaged the Park’s historic integrity.   Further preservation sprang from the 1988 Master Plan for Overton Park including approval for “no-drive zones” to preserve the nature experience.

More peril arose when the Memphis Engineering Division attempted to use the Greensward to divert floodwater from the Lick Creek watershed.  The main channel of Lick Creek flows through Overton Park.  The Division sought to establish a detention basin in the current Greensward which would have resulted in a pooling of floodwater five to seven times a year over the Greensward. Park Friends and others worked for years to oppose and propose other effective alternatives to avoid permanent damage to Greensward.  Fortunately the City abandoned the plan in the face of activism and established the current detention basin under Overton Square.

In 2011, the City Council made the Overton Park Conservancy the manager of 184 acres of the Park but retains ownership of the Park.  The Conservancy has raised substantial private dollars for Park improvements and maintenance, and the Park has greatly benefited as a result.  

The Zoo’s use of the Greensward for overflow parking has been an issue since the early 1980’s.  Park Friends worked the entire 40 years to preserve the Greensward along with OPC and OPA, an alliance of over 20 other neighborhood and community groups over the last decade.  With all of us working together to Save the Greensward, magic happened.  In 2023 Memphis, OPC and the Zoo agreed to end overflow parking in the Greensward, return 14 acres to the Old Forest and the south half of the southeast corner of the Park.  WooHoo!  

Moving forward with the same pro-Park passion, Park Friends continues to bring the community together at social events including its annual party and Spring/Fall music event series at the Overton Park Abe Goodman Golf House.   The camaraderie expands to community volunteerism, support, and expansion of the belief in our City and the importance of our Parks for individuals’ and our community’s overall wellbeing.  Park Friends will continue with your help to support Overton Park and its rock-solid presence and bring our community together.