WASHINGTON PARK

Washington Park with the infamous Cogswell statue

WASHINGTON PARK. Dubuque's oldest platted park and the location of the first church and the first jail in Dubuque. The site was surveyed during the summer of 1833 by G.W. Harrison. The location was first dedicated to the county for "use as a park." In wanting to build on the land, the land was a source of controversy because the county was apparently violating the contract by which it acquired the land. In 1834 a Methodist meeting house built of logs was constructed in the southeast corner of the square. The building also served as a court and a schoolhouse. John Bush constructed a house on the northern side of the square in 1836. Philip Morhiser later took possession of the home and lived there for two years.

The park seems to have been an attractive to potential house buyers. In 1865 Mayor Thompson purchased Lots 621-22 Bluff, opposite the park and the Herald observed that “these lots are valuable property.” Over the years, the land was suggested as a downtown mall extension or the site of a courthouse, post office, city hall, or parking lot. Wagons were occasionally parked on the grounds. The city fenced the square in 1848 and leveled the ground. Nothing again was done until 1877 when flower beds, trees, and shrubbery were planted.

Washington Park perhaps before 1878 with a turnstile on the sidewalk. Photo courtesy: Center for Dubuque History

The entire area, given the name Washington Square in 1857 had been called the "public square."

A serious effort was made to re-locate the county courthouse to the square in 1875. U. S. Senator William Allison introduced a Senate Bill, apparently necessary to accomplish this, on February 12, 1875. A curious proviso was that nothing would be done without adjacent owner consent. It was not until 1877 that the land was officially called Washington Park.

The race for constructing bandstands in the two parks was underway by mid-August 1877. The Washington Park promoters had the head start, having already raised most of the needed $200 by mid- July. The Herald challenged “downtown [Washington Square] residents” by reporting that Jackson Park folks had completed their subscription campaign. It warned them that they would be losing open air concerts if they did not act quickly.

Architects Heer & Nascher designed the pagoda/pavilion for the park. Construction cost was to be just $200 and the Herald at least was well please with the design (Herald, July 11, 1877). The Herald warned “Washington Square will soon be no better than a common cow pasture if that mob of boys are allowed to run it down as they did last night. Why this change of tactics? We sigh for those young trees and the smooth green sward.”

On June 1, 1878, a petition was received by the City Council for the erection of a drinking fountain in the park. The council proposed that it would pay one-half of the cost with the other half coming from private donations. The resulting fountain was topped by a statue of Dr. Henry COGSWELL.

This rare view of Washington Park shows a view without the gazebo.

The square has been the scene of many events. In 1895 the neighborhood ladies called for street-front benches in the park side streets, the thinking being that more public benches would be less attractive to the tramps who commandeered the benches in the middle of the park. The evening park concerts in mid-1895 were so popular that the crowd filled both the park and adjacent streets. In 1896 William F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody staged a Wild West show on the grounds. President William McKinley spoke from the park's gazebo on October 16, 1899. More recently the site has seen anti-war demonstrations and the annual NATIVITY SCENE.

Ravages of nature and man took their toll on the park. In 1894 the park grass was so parched that firemen from the 4th and Locust firehouse brought hoses to water the plants. DUTCH ELM DISEASE and storms destroyed many of the trees. The old pagoda was finally demolished and sold for its salvage value in 1900. The Herald welcomed the move, saying it had been “an eyesore for the past several years.” New cement walks were laid that same year. Two years later the park was the site for the Annual Carnival.

Restoration efforts for the gazebo began in 1974 with suggestions made by then-candidate for the Park Board Robert A. Sullivan. TELEGRAPH HERALD reporter Jim Miller later collected $1,000.00 toward restoration costs and suggested that the Dubuque JAYCEES accept the project.

The Jaycee's Washington Square Restoration Committee, headed by attorneys Randy Nigg and Russell Neuwoehner, accepted the challenge including the construction of a replica of the original gazebo and the raising of $60,000.00 for the project. In 1976 a time capsule was buried to be opened during the tricentennial activities in 2076.

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Source:

Jacobson, James E. "Cathedral Historic District Phase IV District Report" 2003