Jones Park

Jones Park is a 130-acre landscape in East St. Louis featuring a three-and-a-half acre lagoon. The public park was created from farmland donated by the Jones family in 1912. The East St. Louis Parks District commission oversaw the creation of a large 'bathing beach' and the lagoon, which was used for swimming and boating after the park was reopened to the public in 1914. Today, this landscape is notable for its many old trees, its historic music bandstand, and its winding lagoons. The park also hosts a seasonal festival each October.

In a comprehensive article for The American Bottom, Andrew Theising, a political scientist and scholar of urban parks, has discussed the history of Jones Park. Special tax districts were created in 1893 throughout the state of Illinois to fund the creation and maintenance of public parks, while also protecting the state's forested land and preserving scenic byways. By 1911, a state parks commission was formed to oversee the development of new parks throughout Illinois.

Originally, the smaller Landsdowne Park was used by residents of East St. Louis, but it later merged with Jones Park after the Jones family donated a large swath of farmland to the city in 1912. The 130-acre site was redesigned and opened to the public in 1914. The East St. Louis Park District commission oversaw the installment of a complex fountain system to pump one million gallons of fresh water into the park's three-and-a-half-acre lagoon every day. Meanwhile, a $25,000 investment created a 'bathing beach,' which at the time was the largest inland beach in the U.S.

In 1914, a class reunion picnic was hosted on site. People enjoyed boating and canoeing throughout the lagoon, while their children played at the playground. The park was enjoyed by many visitors during the summertime. A 1930 postcard shows the bathing beach filled with bathers on a warm summer day, and a 1931 street guide described Jones Park as "the finest park around." There were facilities for horseshoes, baseball, football, tennis, swimming, and boating. The lagoon was used for canoeing and swimming in the summer, but during the winter it was used for ice skating. A quarter-mile track surrounded one of the park's athletic fields, and a small zoo on-site provided a space for peacocks to walk about.

Theising has also described how labor union parades, which marched down the streets of East St. Louis, ended their march at the park, where a picnic lunch was prepared for thousands of people. Public parks were considered the "great equalizer" in the early twentieth-century, as they were created for people of all incomes and backgrounds; in practice, however, they were more segregated racially and economically than what most Progressive Era reformers intended to achieve.

When Interstate-64 was extended through East St. Louis in 1957, the highway cut off the northern portion of the city from the southern half. The planning and zoning process had the effect of establishing the historic Jones-Hall neighborhood (the largest neighborhood in East Louis) to the north of I-64. Yet, the highway also formed a logistical barrier, which thereafter made Jones Park more difficult to access.

Although the park is not used as much as it was a century ago, it remains an important public green space in East St. Louis. The centerpiece of the park is still the historic music bandstand, a brick pavilion located near the lagoon. While concerts are no longer held on Sunday afternoons at the park, some local residents still gather at the pavilion throughout the week to admire the beauty of the lagoon. Additionally, seasonal festivals are held at the park, such the annual Family Fun Festival, which takes place in early October.

Theising, Andrew J. Parks and Recreation in East St. Louis, The American Bottom. Accessed November 21st, 2022. http://theamericanbottom.org/itineraryOne.html.

Metro East | East St. Louis, Built St. Louis. November 1st, 2007. Accessed November 21st, 2022. https://www.builtstlouis.net/eaststlouis/north-jonespark.html.

Jones Park - East St. Louis, East St. Louis Culture. Accessed November 21st, 2022. https://eaststlouisculture.siue.edu/neatline/show/jones-park.