South side of STH 11--Old Settlers Park

South side of STH 11--Old Settlers Park

Racine

Union Grove

1902

2011,2023

park

No

On 14 March 1870, a group of citizens who had spent at least thirty years in Racine County held a meeting at the Racine County Courthouse to organize the Old Settlers Society. The group held annual meetings/picnics around the county before utilizing in 1882 the Skewes Grove parcel on the east side of Union Grove. The group would use this site until it purchased the subject twelve-acre park in 1902 from James Anderson. Dedicated as Old Settlers Park, the site would host an annual June picnic that was attended by 3,000 to 8,000 people. The society in 1907 built a large pavilion for the event (no longer extant). In 1924, the society leased the park to the Racine County Agricultural Society for the Racine County Fair and it transferred ownership to the county in 1934. In 1940, the Old Setters Society disbanded and transformed into the Racine County Historical Society. Architecture/History Survey of STH 11, WisDOT #1320-15-70/20, Prepared by Heritage Research (2011). 2023: Old Settlers Park is a 13-acre park located on the south side of STH 11, between Fairgrounds Drive and York Street. There are two entrances to the park; the east entrance is west of Fairgrounds Drive and the west entrance is at the York Street intersection. Both entrances are flanked by stone piers with inset plaques reading “OLD SETTLERS PARK 1870” and “RACINE COUNTY.” The piers were constructed in 1935. The park is roughly bounded on the east (Brach Drive) and west (West Drive) by a paved path leading from the entrances and connecting at Rowe Lane, which forms the southern boundary of the park. Another paved path, Warren Drive, forms a triangular loop around the center of the park, leading to two paved parking areas, and connecting at Main Street. Within the park, there are nine buildings, three pavilions, a commemorative boulder, playground equipment, a baseball field, and a horseshoe court. The oldest extant structure is Mercantile Hall, which was constructed in 1927. Most of the remaining structures were constructed between 1930 and 1970, including the Block Building, Eating Stands 7, 8, and 9, the Dining Hall, Bingo Barn (pavilion), Restroom building, and garage. The Sweet Corn Shelter and Old Setters Park Pavilion 1 were constructed after 1985 and the newest pavilion was constructed c.2016. The park and buildings are utilized during the Racine County Fair, which typically occurs during July of every year. The Racine County Fairgrounds and associated parking lots form a roughly L-shaped property abutting the park to the east and south. The Fairgrounds are arranged around paved paths that connect the buildings and enclose large open grassy areas for overnight camping, temporary exhibits, and food vendors. There are 24 buildings, a pavilion, grandstand, and horse arena. The Fairgrounds were largely constructed between 1970 and 1985 and are frequently updated to meet the needs of the Racine County Fair. Research indicated that some work completed at the park was furnished by labor from the Wisconsin Emergency Relief Administration (WERA).

Local History Files--Union Grove Public Library. “Approve Plans For Fair Park,” The Journal Times (Racine), April 18, 1935. Rachel Kubik, “Ready For A Makeover,” The Journal Times (Racine), November 22, 2021. “County Historical Society Seventeen Years Old; Group Was Formed From Old Settlers Club,” The Journal Times (Racine), August 19, 1957.