Parks and Rec., Wilmington Delaware Edition

By David Cardillo, Digital Initiatives and Preservation

Thanks to a generous grant by the Friends of the Library, UD Library, Museums and Press staff in the Digital Initiatives and Preservation Department recently digitized the Reports of the Board of Park Commissioners of Wilmington, Delaware. 

The collection contains reports spanning from 1885 to 1961 and by looking through the reports, you can see the evolution of the City of Wilmington’s Parks and Recreation Program during that period of time. For example, in the beginning of the volume for 1885, there is a mission statement about developing parklands both for preservation purposes and to be used and enjoyed by the local residents.  Fast forward to the latest volume in the collection for 1960-61 and you will discover largely tables of expenditures and revenue generated through the various park and recreation programs – demonstrating the program’s exponential growth.

Listing of parks in Wilmington, c.1885

Partial list of parklands in Wilmington, 1960

Assuming the numbers to the left are acres, the amount of parkland definitely increased from the 252 acres of parkland listed in the previous clip from c.1885.  From the data shown in the above partial list of parklands, there is an increase of more than 1000 acres of parkland!  With such an increase in park area, you will note a drastic increase in the number of park officials as shown in the budget section of the report … from police and security to groundskeepers, managers, and so forth.

The increase in parkland, officials and fiduciary budget led to an increase in programs, as evidenced by the partial listing of recreational activities and facilities listed below.

Listing of park facilities available to the public.

Fortunately, the earlier reports had photographs that also show the natural beauty of the main park in Wilmington at the time – Brandywine Park.

Brandywine Creek, c. 1885

Artist’s sketch of Dogwood Blossoms in Brandywine Park, c. 1885

Map of public parks in Wilmington, especially Brandywine Park, c. 1895

These reports show the population growth of Wilmington (especially in the Brandywine area) over time, in addition to inflation, technology and the need for administrative oversight as more community programs were developed to serve the residents of the area. Most importantly, they show the City of Wilmington’s long-term investment into the wellbeing and preservation of its parklands and subsequent programming to enhance the pastime of Wilmingtonians and visitors to the area. With thanks to the Friends of the Library, whose support allows the University of Delaware Library, Museums and Press to preserve and digitize such resources, it is hoped that this now-digitally-accessible collection will inspire others to use and support the state parks available, such as the current project of turning the old Wilmington reservoir into a park.