Phillips Park (Aurora, IL)
Encyclopedia
Phillips Park is located on over 325 acres in Aurora, Illinois
, USA. This park is a municipal park managed by the Department of Parks & Recreation of the city of Aurora, and has co-owned areas with the Fox Valley Park District.
bones were found during the Phillips Park Lake Excavation Project. The project was one of many sponsored by the Civil Works Administration during the Great Depression, yet because of the discovery of bones the lake is still referred to as Mastodon Lake. The bones have traveled to different museums over the years, but now they are housed in the visitor center of the park that was built in 2003. The park has grown over the years adding new attractions, and still continues to be a place for family outings.
In a joint venture the water park was constructed in 1991 and included a tube slide, a body slide and 2 drop-off slides, a children’s play pool with a waterfall and water cannons, plus a tot slide. There is also a hot tub, a sand play area, a sand volleyball court and concessions.
Golf Course:
The first golf course on Phillips Park grounds was constructed in the 1920s. Improvements and renovations have created the modern course now on the grounds.
Phillips Park Zoo:
Phillips Park Zoo
was founded in 1915 and is still open daily with no admission.
Recreational Areas:
Sites in the park included the waterfall, World War I cannons and numerous veteran related monuments. Among the amenities are a large state-of-the-art playground, a toddler’s playground, picnic pavilions, sand volleyball courts, tennis courts, horseshoe courts, a jogging/bike path, fishing piers, an ice skating pond, and a sledding hill. Special events and activities are co-sponsored throughout the year with The Friends of Phillips Park.
Sunken Gardens:
The original gardens were designed and developed by Ray Moses in the 1930s. In 2002 the gardens were rededicated to the east side of the zoo.
Visitor Center and Mastodon Gallery:
Built in 2003 to showcase the mastodon bone discovered in 1934.
Aurora, Illinois
Aurora is the second most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois, and the 112th largest city in the United States. A suburb of Chicago, located west of the Loop, its population in 2010 was 197,899. Originally founded within Kane County, Aurora's city limits have expanded greatly over the past...
, USA. This park is a municipal park managed by the Department of Parks & Recreation of the city of Aurora, and has co-owned areas with the Fox Valley Park District.
History
Travis Phillips designated in his will that $24,000 from his estate be used to purchase land for a park that would be donated to the city of Aurora. On November 21, 1899 the deed was signed for 60 acres. The area that had been bought was used as a picnic area for family outings as early as 1835 when it was known as Scharschug's Woods, and was built up as an entertain area in the early 1870s by the Aurora Sharp Shooter Society. The next major historical moment for the park was March 7, 1934 when mastodonMastodon
Mastodons were large tusked mammal species of the extinct genus Mammut which inhabited Asia, Africa, Europe, North America and Central America from the Oligocene through Pleistocene, 33.9 mya to 11,000 years ago. The American mastodon is the most recent and best known species of the group...
bones were found during the Phillips Park Lake Excavation Project. The project was one of many sponsored by the Civil Works Administration during the Great Depression, yet because of the discovery of bones the lake is still referred to as Mastodon Lake. The bones have traveled to different museums over the years, but now they are housed in the visitor center of the park that was built in 2003. The park has grown over the years adding new attractions, and still continues to be a place for family outings.
Attractions
Aquatic Center:In a joint venture the water park was constructed in 1991 and included a tube slide, a body slide and 2 drop-off slides, a children’s play pool with a waterfall and water cannons, plus a tot slide. There is also a hot tub, a sand play area, a sand volleyball court and concessions.
Golf Course:
The first golf course on Phillips Park grounds was constructed in the 1920s. Improvements and renovations have created the modern course now on the grounds.
Phillips Park Zoo:
Phillips Park Zoo
Phillips Park Zoo
Phillips Park Zoo is located on the grounds of Phillips Park, in Aurora, Illinois, USA. It was originally established in 1915, and is still open year-round with no admission charge...
was founded in 1915 and is still open daily with no admission.
Recreational Areas:
Sites in the park included the waterfall, World War I cannons and numerous veteran related monuments. Among the amenities are a large state-of-the-art playground, a toddler’s playground, picnic pavilions, sand volleyball courts, tennis courts, horseshoe courts, a jogging/bike path, fishing piers, an ice skating pond, and a sledding hill. Special events and activities are co-sponsored throughout the year with The Friends of Phillips Park.
Sunken Gardens:
The original gardens were designed and developed by Ray Moses in the 1930s. In 2002 the gardens were rededicated to the east side of the zoo.
Visitor Center and Mastodon Gallery:
Built in 2003 to showcase the mastodon bone discovered in 1934.