The Zoo in Forest Park
In 1884, Springfielder O.H. Greenleaf offered 65 acres (26 ha) for the establishment of a park to be named Forest Park. Shortly after, approximately 178 acres (72 ha) were donated by wealthy philanthropist Everett Hosmer Barney. Initially, Barney made his fortune as a Civil War arms producer and later as a businessman, developing clamp-on ice skates and rollerskates. In 1890 Barney built an elaborate, turreted 2 1⁄2-story Victorian mansion on a hill at the west end of his estate, which is now Forest Park. The Barney Mansion featured a spectacular view of the Connecticut River and Metro Center Springfield. Greenleaf and Barney convinced several of their wealthy friends and neighbors to donate much of the remaining land that would become the 735-acre Forest Park. The bulk of this land was, at the time, in the town of Longmeadow, Massachusetts. Ultimately, Longmeadow ceded control of the park to the City of Springfield.
The Barney Mansion was used for park events until the early 1950s, by which time it was considered a fire hazard due to its lack of sprinklers. In the 1950s about 50 acres (20 ha) of the park, including 15 acres (6.1 ha) of the former Barney estate, were taken to construct the Springfield/Longmeadow sections of Interstate 91, which severed the places' connections to the Connecticut River. Barney's house stood atop the hill at the northwest corner of the park, and the highway construction may have threatened its foundations, so assuming it was razed. Barney's stained glass windows were moved to a house in Palmer, Massachusetts where the demolition contractor lived at the time. The mausoleum of Barney's son and a carriage house still survive from the estate, along with many remnants of an extensive arboretum and water gardens planted by Barney around 1900. The developer of the Forest Park neighborhood continued this theme by planting many interesting specimen trees, especially around Magnolia Terrace. This historic neighborhood with many fine examples of Victorian houses abuts the park on the north, while a small enclave of Springfield's stately brick colonial homes and the town of Longmeadow, Massachusetts borders the park to the south.
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