click zoom to display a high-res image
20, 30, 40, 60, 120 &121 Antes Dr; 321, 340, 359, 360, 363,
Leonard-Leota Park
12000610
20, 30, 40, 60, 120 &121 Antes Dr; 321, 340, 359, 360, 363,
Rock
Evansville
Summary
Leonard-Leota Park
Evansville, Rock County
Dates of contributing resources: 1912-1959
The 8-acre Leonard Park was developed in 1883 as Evansville's first municipal park. It occupies high ground overlooking the 50-acre Lake Leota and adjacent Leota Park, with which it was combined in 1923. Lake Leota was created in 1847 when Allen's Creek was dammed to provide water power for Evansville's first mills. This lake and the land surrounding it soon became a favorite pleasure ground for Evansville citizens and it remained so throughout the nineteenth century. In 1900, the dam was removed and the lake disappeared. Finally, in 1923, citizen agitation succeeded in getting a new dam built and the lake restored. In conjunction, the City of Evansville bought additional parcels of land for parkland development. Little was done to develop this land until the Great Depression, which brought federal aid to Evansville in the form of CWA, FERA, and WPA work relief funding. These new funding sources made possible the landscaping of Leota Park and the construction of a number of fine limestone Rustic Style buildings and structures and other amenities within its boundaries, including the rip-rapping of the entire course of Allen's Creek within the park. The result is a still intact designed landscape that is a fine example of the numerous Rustic Style projects funded by the federal government during the Depression period.
Leonard-Leota Park is still actively used today and it is open to the public.
Property Details
Resources Within The Property
Designations
State & National Registers of Historic Places
The State Register and National Register recognize buildings, sites, districts, structures, and objects that are significant in national, state, or local history. The State Historic Preservation Office in conjunction with the National Park Service maintains the list for Wisconsin and makes the data available to the public for research and education.
Questions?
Wondering about if your property is eligible or have other questions about the registers, reach out today!
Email UsAttribution
For a credit line: Wisconsin Historical Society, Creator, Title, Unique Identifier.
The Unique Identifier can be found at the top or bottom of the page for each item. The name of a downloaded file is NOT the unique identifier.
For bibliographic citations please consult the UW-Madison Libraries Citation Research Guide to ensure compliance with appropriate style guidelines.
