Before I moved back to Vermilion County almost 15 years ago, after having attending Illinois State University in Bloomington-Normal, I had visited Harrison Park maybe once in my life. I had always known it as a golf course, and since I was only ever really interested in driving the golf cart, I seldom found reason to hit the links at Harrison. The beauty of the land left it’s mark though, as it still does every time I walk into those incredible hills and ravines, cut so many eons ago by glacial runoff.
When I returned home in 2008, a chance glance at Google Maps showed that a huge portion of the west side of the North Fork river was included in Harrison Park. I hit the county GIS map and, sure, enough. Harrison Park sits on about 235 total acres of city property. In all my life, I heard nothing about west Harrison Park. That remains true for most people today.
I’m here to tell you though, Harrison Park has a story. Not just a story either, but perhaps the best story. One that should instill pride in every single member of our community. A story to fight for and live up to!
It’s been a decade long journey to get here, but compiled below is as detailed a history of Harrison Park as I’ve been able to muster. Our mission at VCTA is to live up to, and help others live up to, the vision and the promise John Harrison made to Danville when he donated Harrison Park way back in 1929. We’d love it if you joined us.
The History of Harrison
Pre-1800s
Vermilion County is inhabited by many Native American tribes, including the Piankashaw, Kickapoo, Pottowattamee, and others. Evidence of many thriving settlements has been found, including in Harrison Park where a village is believed to have resided.
c.1819
Salines – brackish waters that can be boiled down for salt – are discovered along the banks of the Salt and North Fork rivers, drawing industrious pioneers of European lineage to settle the area and establish “the salt works.”
c.1821
Dan Beckwith, namesake of Danville, builds a log cabin trading post on the west side of the North Fork river in the area of Harrison Park. He later moves this business to the confluence of the North and Salt Fork rivers, near present day Ellsworth Park, on land he eventually donates to become the City of Danville.
c.1826
Lands comprising a portion of Harrison Park are entered in the founding log book for Vermilion County, making them among the oldest settled properties in the county. Soon after, Francis Whitcomb sells out his stake in these lands fully to George Beckwith, brother to Dan.
c.1844
A large portion of the lands comprising Harrison Park are conveyed to another Danville founding father, Amos Williams. They are passed down through the Williams family until purchased and donated to the City by John Harrison in 1929.
1910
The Danville Golf Club shuts down it’s course on North Vermilion and leases 65 acres from Carol Williams, upon which the historic Clubhouse and the first 9 holes of the present golf course are built. Sometime later the organization becomes the Danville Country Club.
1911
A new clubhouse opens, featuring 11 bedrooms, screened porches, a bowling alley, and lounging rooms. Members would often lodge for long periods to enjoy the beauty of the grounds.
1925
A new Danville Country Club is built at its present location, setting the stage for a move and for John Harrison to purchase the grounds comprising Harrison Park.
1928
John H. Harrison, local businessman and then Editor of the Commercial-News, purchases several tracts, including the old Williams tracts, the grounds leased by the Country Club, and more, then gifts them to the City of Danville. In total, the gift is 233 acres and features scenery widely regarded as some of the most picturesque in all of Illinois and across the Midwest. The only conditions are that it forever remain held in trust by the City for public recreation, and that it always be Harrison Park.
1929
Inspired by Harrison’s gift, the Danville Country Club sells the clubhouse to the City at an extreme discount, becoming part of Harrison Park forever after.
May 1929
The City of Danville officially accepts Harrison Park as a gift with fanfare and celebration. Mr. Harrison is lauded in national editorials for his sentiment toward the gift, best reflected in his quote, “Every man should share of his good fortune with the town that gave him his opportunity.”
1932
A historic walnut tree, descended from a tree found at George Washington’s Mount Vernon estate, is planted at Harrison Park. This tree no longer exists.
1933
A bird sanctuary is established on the park’s somewhat difficult to access northeastern portion, and is managed by the Roselawn Garden Club.
1935-37
As part of the New Deal, the Federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) constructs 9 additional golf holes, 9 miles of trails, several rustic bridges, picnic areas, playgrounds, and stairs on the western portion of Harrison Park.
1940
A parcel of about 40 acres is leased to the Girl Scouts for construction of a camp. Camp Trefoil entertained many scouts and visitors over the years and existed in some capacity at the site until the mid-1980s when the lease was allowed to expired and the camp abandoned.
1941
A wildflower trail is established and opened under the care of the Conservation and Garden Department of the Danville Women’s Club. It ultimately features over 90 varieties of wildflowers, most native to the region.
1945
The old Williams Street wooden bridge, moved to Harrison Park when a new iron bridge was built in it’s stead, collapses into a flooded North Fork.
1950s-60s
Very little history has surfaced from this period, but it seems to have been a critical period for the abandonment of west Harrison Park. If you or someone you know has information of any kind from this period, drop us a line!
1973
The picnic grounds, trails, and bridges are all cleaned and refurbished. They had fallen to disrepair through neglect, vandalism, and funding cuts. It all came to naught; by 1975 the west side of Harrison Park had again to fallen ruin for the same reasons and was essentially abandoned. Articles from the time mention the City’s desire to do “something” with the land, yet, 46 years later it sits largely as it did in 1975.
1993
Harrison Park Clubhouse is nominated to become a local landmark and is awarded this status in 1994.
1994
Severe flooding, to which the lower parts of Harrison Park are prone, heavily damages the remaining bridge over the North Fork and submerges 7 greens and 18 sand traps.
1996
Renovations to the Clubhouse are undertaken by Old Town Preservation Group. A full renovation was not affordable, so many updates were made to critical and aesthetic components of the building. These renovations continue in spurts to this day.
2002
The Bird Sanctuary, long forgotten, is rededicated by the Roselawn Garden Club and the City of Danville.
Present Day
Owing to the success of the KRT and the explosion in outdoor recreational interest, VCTA has picked up the torch in an effort to put west Harrison Park back into use. Our plan includes restoration of the WPA structures still present, installing several miles of new hiking/biking trails, and ultimately the installation of a bike park facility for all, complete with pump track and skills area, jump lines, and progressive features.
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