Carpenter Park
Encyclopedia
Carpenter Park is a 322-acre (1.3 km²) park on the north bank of the Sangamon River
on the far north side of the city of Springfield
, Illinois
. The park is a listed Illinois Nature Preserve and has been designated as an Important Bird Area of Illinois. The park is owned by the city of Springfield and overseen by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources
.
that covered most of central Illinois during early historic times. The local Indians used the Sangamon River as a transportation route for their canoes and used this woodland, with its plentiful supply of firewood, as a campground.
During the War of 1812
, many Indians fought against the frontiersmen of the Illinois Territory
, attempting to defend their way of life. While the war as a whole was a draw, the frontiersmen won control of central Illinois Territory and opened it for fur trading
and settlement. As an attractive wooded area within the prairie, this parcel of woodland quickly found an occupant. William Carpenter acquired legal control over the land in 1838.
The Carpenter family used the woodland in a manner typical of early 19th century United States frontier culture. William Carpenter established a small ferry
across the Sangamon River and built a water-powered mill
on the Sangamon River. The mill sawed wood from local timber and ground corn into cornmeal
. The ferry was located close to where old U.S. 66
crosses the Sangamon River today.
The Carpenter family continued to occupy the future park property until daughter Sarah Carpenter sold it to the Springfield Park District in 1922 for $87,310. The property was renamed Carpenter Park. Shortly after this accession, in 1926, U.S. Route 66 was designated to include a road adjacent to the park.
bluff.
In the forest preserve, the dry-mesic upland forest, which makes up more than one-half of the land area of the park, is dominated by the white oak
, the state tree of Illinois, and its cousins the black oak and bur oak. There are also black walnut
, black cherry
, and hickory
trees. In areas that have not been burned over the past 100 years, pawpaw
and sassafras
trees are springing up. The aging but high-quality oak-hickory forestland produces a significant quantity of mast
to feed whitetail deer and other wildlife. A 443-year-old white oak, believed to be the oldest tree in the park, was fatally injured by a 2009 windstorm.
Closer to the Sangamon River, Carpenter Park's wet-mesic forest supports old growth sycamore
, silver maple
, cottonwood, and boxelder trees. In the sloping ravines that transition between the two biotic zones, red oak
find a foothold.
The woodland is relatively mature and diverse. 82 different species of bird
s have been sighted. The park was listed as an Illinois Natural Area in May 1979. Old U.S. Route 66 runs alongside the park to this day, and the park maintains a picnic
ground for those following the historic road through Springfield, Illinois.
In 2007, Carpenter Park was designated as an Important Bird Area of Illinois.
s to enable fire-dependent trees, such as bur oaks, to reproduce themselves.
The park district also hopes to construct an improved trail with a railing along the Sangamon River's sandstone bluffs, which are crumbling with erosion
.
Sangamon River
The Sangamon River is a principal tributary of the Illinois River, approximately long, in central Illinois in the United States. It drains a mostly rural agricultural area between Peoria and Springfield...
on the far north side of the city of Springfield
Springfield, Illinois
Springfield is the third and current capital of the US state of Illinois and the county seat of Sangamon County with a population of 117,400 , making it the sixth most populated city in the state and the second most populated Illinois city outside of the Chicago Metropolitan Area...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
. The park is a listed Illinois Nature Preserve and has been designated as an Important Bird Area of Illinois. The park is owned by the city of Springfield and overseen by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources
Illinois Department of Natural Resources
The Illinois Department of Natural Resources is a cabinet-level department of the state government of Illinois. It is headquartered in the state capital of Springfield...
.
History
The woodland that now forms most of Carpenter Park was a wooded intrusion into the tallgrass prairiePrairie
Prairies are considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the dominant vegetation type...
that covered most of central Illinois during early historic times. The local Indians used the Sangamon River as a transportation route for their canoes and used this woodland, with its plentiful supply of firewood, as a campground.
During the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
, many Indians fought against the frontiersmen of the Illinois Territory
Illinois Territory
The Territory of Illinois was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 1, 1809, until December 3, 1818, when the southern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Illinois. The area was earlier known as "Illinois Country" while under...
, attempting to defend their way of life. While the war as a whole was a draw, the frontiersmen won control of central Illinois Territory and opened it for fur trading
Fur trade
The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of world market for in the early modern period furs of boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals have been the most valued...
and settlement. As an attractive wooded area within the prairie, this parcel of woodland quickly found an occupant. William Carpenter acquired legal control over the land in 1838.
The Carpenter family used the woodland in a manner typical of early 19th century United States frontier culture. William Carpenter established a small ferry
Ferry
A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
across the Sangamon River and built a water-powered mill
Watermill
A watermill is a structure that uses a water wheel or turbine to drive a mechanical process such as flour, lumber or textile production, or metal shaping .- History :...
on the Sangamon River. The mill sawed wood from local timber and ground corn into cornmeal
Cornmeal
Cornmeal is flour ground from dried maize or American corn. It is a common staple food, and is ground to fine, medium, and coarse consistencies. In the United States, the finely ground cornmeal is also referred to as cornflour. However, the word cornflour denotes cornstarch in recipes from the...
. The ferry was located close to where old U.S. 66
U.S. Route 66 in Illinois
U.S. Route 66 connected St. Louis, Missouri and Chicago, Illinois. The highway had previously been Illinois Route 4 and the road has now been largely replaced with Interstate 55 . Parts of the road still carry traffic and sixseparate portions of the roadbed have been listed on the U.S...
crosses the Sangamon River today.
The Carpenter family continued to occupy the future park property until daughter Sarah Carpenter sold it to the Springfield Park District in 1922 for $87,310. The property was renamed Carpenter Park. Shortly after this accession, in 1926, U.S. Route 66 was designated to include a road adjacent to the park.
The park today
After being heavily used in the early 19th century, the Carpenter Park woodlands have regained sufficient quality to enable them to be listed as a State Natural Area. The woodland is mixed between wet-mesic forest in the Sangamon River floodplain, and dry-mesic upland forest atop a low sandstoneSandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
bluff.
In the forest preserve, the dry-mesic upland forest, which makes up more than one-half of the land area of the park, is dominated by the white oak
White oak
Quercus alba, the white oak, is one of the pre-eminent hardwoods of eastern North America. It is a long-lived oak of the Fagaceae family, native to eastern North America and found from southern Quebec west to eastern Minnesota and south to northern Florida and eastern Texas. Specimens have been...
, the state tree of Illinois, and its cousins the black oak and bur oak. There are also black walnut
Black Walnut
Juglans nigra, the Eastern Black walnut, is a species of flowering tree in the hickory family, Juglandaceae, that is native to eastern North America. It grows mostly in riparian zones, from southern Ontario, west to southeast South Dakota, south to Georgia, northern Florida and southwest to central...
, black cherry
Black Cherry
Prunus serotina, commonly called black cherry, wild black cherry, rum cherry, or mountain black cherry, is a woody plant species belonging to the genus Prunus...
, and hickory
Hickory
Trees in the genus Carya are commonly known as hickory, derived from the Powhatan language of Virginia. The genus includes 17–19 species of deciduous trees with pinnately compound leaves and big nuts...
trees. In areas that have not been burned over the past 100 years, pawpaw
Asimina triloba
Asimina triloba, the pawpaw, paw paw, paw-paw, or common pawpaw, is a species of Asimina in the same plant family as the custard-apple, cherimoya, sweetsop, ylang-ylang and soursop...
and sassafras
Sassafras
Sassafras is a genus of three extant and one extinct species of deciduous trees in the family Lauraceae, native to eastern North America and eastern Asia.-Overview:...
trees are springing up. The aging but high-quality oak-hickory forestland produces a significant quantity of mast
Mast (botany)
Mast is the "fruit of forest trees like acorns and other nuts". It is also defined as "the fruit of trees such as beech, and other forms of Cupuliferae". Alternatively, it can also refer to "a heap of nuts"....
to feed whitetail deer and other wildlife. A 443-year-old white oak, believed to be the oldest tree in the park, was fatally injured by a 2009 windstorm.
Closer to the Sangamon River, Carpenter Park's wet-mesic forest supports old growth sycamore
Sycamore
Sycamore is a name which is applied at various times and places to three very different types of trees, but with somewhat similar leaf forms....
, silver maple
Silver Maple
The silver maple —also called creek maple, river maple, silverleaf maple, soft maple, water maple, or white maple—is a species of maple native to eastern North America in the eastern United States and Canada...
, cottonwood, and boxelder trees. In the sloping ravines that transition between the two biotic zones, red oak
Northern Red Oak
Quercus rubra, commonly called northern red oak or champion oak, , is an oak in the red oak group . It is a native of North America, in the northeastern United States and southeast Canada...
find a foothold.
The woodland is relatively mature and diverse. 82 different species of bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
s have been sighted. The park was listed as an Illinois Natural Area in May 1979. Old U.S. Route 66 runs alongside the park to this day, and the park maintains a picnic
Picnic
In contemporary usage, a picnic can be defined simply as a pleasure excursion at which a meal is eaten outdoors , ideally taking place in a beautiful landscape such as a park, beside a lake or with an interesting view and possibly at a public event such as before an open air theatre performance,...
ground for those following the historic road through Springfield, Illinois.
In 2007, Carpenter Park was designated as an Important Bird Area of Illinois.
The park tomorrow
The city of Springfield's park district adopted a management plan in 2008 that applies various natural area conservation consensus positions to the park. The plan calls for controlled burnControlled burn
Controlled or prescribed burning, also known as hazard reduction burning or Swailing is a technique sometimes used in forest management, farming, prairie restoration or greenhouse gas abatement. Fire is a natural part of both forest and grassland ecology and controlled fire can be a tool for...
s to enable fire-dependent trees, such as bur oaks, to reproduce themselves.
The park district also hopes to construct an improved trail with a railing along the Sangamon River's sandstone bluffs, which are crumbling with erosion
Erosion
Erosion is when materials are removed from the surface and changed into something else. It only works by hydraulic actions and transport of solids in the natural environment, and leads to the deposition of these materials elsewhere...
.