Akin Park
Neighborhood Association
The Akin Park Historic District has remained a secluded residential oasis in the southeast section of Evansville for more than a century and has one of the most colorful histories of any city neighborhood. It has served as a fairgrounds, horse race track and airport, and legend has it that two elephants and a gorilla are buried there.
The district extends from Washington Avenue south to Covert Avenue and from Kentucky Avenue east to U.S. 41. The park itself comprises the major portion of an 80-acre tract that served for two decades as a fairgrounds established in 1891 by the Tri-State Fair Association, a stock-holding company of local horse fanciers – one of whom was William Akin.
Its main feature was an oval racetrack that surrounded what is now Akin Park. There was a grandstand at the southwest corner, at Taylor Avenue and East Park Drive, to hold the crowds that arrived on the newly-extended city streetcar lines. Horse races were a major attraction but not the only attraction.
Perhaps the most unusual chapter in the fairground’s history was in 1909 when it served as the temporary home for the Greater Norris & Rowe Circus, which had been stranded in Evansville by a severe winter. The fairground buildings were transformed to shelter animals but proved insufficient. According to newspaper reports, two elephants and a gorilla died in the freezing cold that winter and were buried in the park.
Another memorable event was in June 1911, when the grandstand was packed to witness the first local flight of an airplane. Two crated Glenn Curtiss planes were shipped here and assembled at the fairgrounds for the event.
But two years later, after the fairgrounds had fallen into disuse, 55 acres of the site were put up for sale and purchased for $55,000 by a group of men, including Akin and the realtor/developer Carl B. Hart. Within a year the fairground buildings were razed and a new residential subdivision, “Hart Place,” with a design unlike any other in the city. It included a central park and three boulevards (Akin Drive, Ravenswood Drive and Madison Avenue). Lots facing the park had 40-foot frontages and those on other streets in the area were 35 feet in width. There were 239 lots in total.
Its centerpiece park was named posthumously for Akin, who had died in August 1913. The park was purchased by the city in 1914, and over time “Akin Park” gradually supplanted the recorded name of the subdivision. Construction slowed during World War I but boomed after the war. Much of the landscaping was done by residents and at one time featured a fountain surrounded by gardens. The fountain no longer exists but a feature today is a gazebo donated about 15 years ago in memory of former long-time resident Marianna Joest.
Today the shaded park is still the hub of the neighborhood but it also now features a section of the bicycle/pedestrian greenway that runs along the neighborhood’s east boundary, parallel to U.S. 41 on an old abandoned railway. Many of the homes have been renovated and new families are moving in.
One couple, Tom and Jeanette Scheller moved into the neighborhood 51 years ago. You will see them out picking up trash in their neighborhood every day. Jeanette remarked, “We love the people that live here, treasure the park, and thank God every day for the beauty around us.”
A special thanks to Roberta Heiman and Jeanette Scheller for sharing the history of Akin Park.
Officers
President: Terry Brooks
Vice President: Evan Decraene
Secretary/Treasurer: Darla Farris
Representatives: Kevin Axsom & Stan Wheeler
Meeting Information
Date: 3rd Thursday of the month (except December)
Time: 6:15pm
Location: Memorial Baptist Church, 605 Canal Street
Please contact Terry Brooks at 812-305-1395 or Evan Decraene at shatteredspades@gmail.com to verify meeting information.
Affiliations
This neighborhood is also a member of the Focus Neighborhood Council through the City of Evansville-Department of Metropolitan Development.
EPD Sector
This neighborhood is in the South Sector on Beat 3
Crime Prevention Officer (CPO): Chad Diedrich 812-435-6037
Meeting Date/Time: See EPD Police Sector page for current schedule.
Location: Crime Prevention Office, CK Newsome Center, 100 E Walnut St., Suite 100, Evansville, IN 47713
Boundaries & Map
Perimeter: 1.56 miles
Area: 83.2 acres
Highlights: Akin Park
Download the KML file here. Map and KML file updated 08/09/2021