Memphis Overton Park
 


Historic Overton Park is a large, 342 acre public park in mid-town Memphis.  The park grounds contain the Memphis Zoo, Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, Memphis College of Art, a 9-hole golf course, The Shell, Rainbow Lake, Veterans Plaza, hiking trails, and one of the few remaining old growth forests in Tennessee.  It is the main jewel in the crown of Memphis.  It is to this city, what Central Park is to NYC.  A visit to the Overton Park can provide you with a relaxing afternoon filled with whatever activities you desire. 

     

The Park was established in 1906 and was named for the co-founder of Memphis, John Overton.  From the beginning, it was clear that the Park was special to Memphians.  It's a connection that continues to this day.  The park property was known as Lea's Woods when it was purchased by Memphis in 1901 for $110,000.  At that time, it was located along the city's eastern boundary.  The city hired landscape architect George Kessler in 1901 to design a master plan which also included Riverside Park, Forrest, Confederate, and Gaston Parks, as well as the Memphis Parkway system to connect the parks.
     Overton

Geo Kessler

 
 
 

In the 1960s and 1970s, Overton Park was the subject of controversy when 26 of its acres were slated by highway planners to be demolished to build Interstate 40 through the park to make it easier for commuters to get to downtown.  Memphians came together and formed a group known as Citizens to Preserve Overton Park and challenged the plan in court.  Ultimately the US Supreme Court ruled in their favor.  The Jewel in the crown has never been brighter.
 

Thanks  to the Memphis Public Library and the University of Memphis Library for many of the  photos on this page

-  Click on small photos to see enlargements -
 

  Overton Park in Vintage Photos and New Photos 

 

  Western Entrance 1914

1908-13

1908-13

Carriage ride 1908-13
       

Bridge Lick Creek 1908-13

Overton 1910

Entrance

Bridge
       

Christmas 1914           

Island

Entrance

Winter
       

Oldest Photo - 1903

Overton 1914-15

Entrance

Entrance
       

Overton Green           

Overton

Old Forest Trail

Overton

       
 Overton Park in Vintage Post Cards
 

Gravel Drive 1908

Drive Way

Dogwood Drive

              Duck Pond Island 1911
       

Gravel Drive Lily Pond Pavilion and Lake 1911 Overton Park
       

Garden and Pergola 1911

Pavilion and Pergola Drive Way 1910         Garden and Pergola 1911
       

Bridge 1909 Playground Formal Garden Formal Garden
       

The Island Duck Pond Island 1910 Bridge Lake 1937
       

Old Spring 1900       Overton 1913 Pavilion Pavilion
       

Field Day 1912 Garden 1908 Rose Garden Overton 1906
       

Lake 1908 Sunken Gardens Sunken Gardens

Galloway Springs 1911   

       
       
       

The Memphis Zoo


Overton Park Zoo was the original name and it began in 1906 because a Memphis resident couldn't keep his pet black bear in his backyard.  He put in a pen in the park which attracted many people and inspired the idea to place more animals on display.  Today, The Memphis Zoo is one of the largest in the US, attracting 1 million visitors per year.  The zoo is home to more than 3,500 animals and represents over 500 different species.  It has been a major tenant of Overton Park for more than 100 years.
 

    Entrance - 2010

Panda

Polar Bears

Giraffes

     Bear Pits 1910

Lion House c. 1909

Lion House c. 1960

Bears 1965
       

   Bird House c. 1960

Palm House c.1960

Monkey Island 1967

        Monkey Island 1938
       

  Zoo Circus C.1960

Elephant Rides 1920s

Family Tradition 1956

              Decorated Floats 1920s

Bear Cages 1914

Aligators

MGM Leo 1930

Zoo 1914-1915

"No White People" Day

Detail:  Tech Lion

Original Entrance

The Tech Lions
 
 

Memphis Zoo in Vintage Post Cards
       

Bear Pits 1910

Entrance 1953

Entrance c. 1950s

Entrance c. 1960s
       

Zoo Animals Bear Pits Conservatory Elephant House
       

Hippo House - 1918         Monkey House Monkey Island Monkey Island
       

Bird House Interior Zoo Scene 1911 Bear Pits Animal Cages
       

Polar Bears Refreshment Pavilion Reptile House lion
       
Zoo Entrance 1909      Monkey Mound Seals  Bears
       

 
 Memphis Brooks Museum of Art 
 

The Memphis Brooks Museum of Art was founded in 1916 and is the oldest art museum in Tennessee.  The original Beaux-Arts building was donated by Bessie Vance Brooks in memory of her husband, Samuel Hamilton Brooks.   In 1955, a new wing was added, and in 1989, the building was expanded to double the square footage.  There are 29 galleries, art classrooms, a research library, and a restaurant.  The permanent collection has over 7,000 works of art, including the Samuel H. Kress Collection of Renaissance and Baroque paintings, the Hugo N. Dixon collection of Impressionist paintings, and a fine collection of English portraits.
       

Brooks - Original Building

 Side View Original Bldg New Wing Interior Gallery
       

Original Beaux-Arts Bldg

 Vintage Post Cards of the original Brooks Memorial Art Gallery
       

 
 The Levitt Shell Theatre
       

The Overton Park Shell was built in 1936 as part of "The New Deal".  Designed by architect Max Furbringer, it was modeled after similar shells in Chicago, New York, and St. Louis.  During the 1930s and 1940s, the Shell was home to Memphis Open Air Theater (MOAT), which presented various light opera, musicals, and symphony orchestras.  In 1954, Elvis Presley performed what music historians call the first ever rock and roll show.  It was his first paid performance.  In the mid-1960s, the Shell was turned over to the Memphis Arts Center, who planned to raze it.  However a campaign gathered 6,000 signatures in order to prevent the destruction.  Once again in 1972, the Shell was nearly demolished to build a parking garage, but was again saved by the community.  Various plans came and went throughout the 80s and by 1985 the Shell lay dormant.  In 2007, the Shell was renamed Levitt Shell and a large scale renovation funded by the Levitt Foundation began.   With the completion of the renovations in 2008, free concerts are now once again held in the Shell.
       

Original M.O.A.T

Shell c. 1980s

Shell Renovation 2007

Shell Renovation 2007
       
       

Levitt Shell 2008

MOAT Programs 1941, 1946

1958 Poster

MOAT Season 1949

Elvis backstage 1954
 

MOAT Programs 1948. 1951

Ticket Stub 1948

1st Rock -Roll Show

Shell - Winter

Shell c. 1980s
      

 

 
       

1949 MOAT performance

< .....1940 MOAT Complete Program....>

Levitt Shell
 

 

 

 
       
   
 Memorials and Monuments in Overton Park
 

Overton Park has been prominently used for various memorials.  Some of them remain - others do not.   The Higbee Memorial honors Jenny Higbee as a distinguished Memphis educator.  Erected in 1908, it is the oldest memorial in the Park.  The Bell Tower was built in 1930 as a memorial to Judge L. B. McFarland, an original member of the Memphis Park Commission.  The Clara Conway Pergola, 1908, honors another distinguished Memphis Educator.(It was destroyed in a 1936 storm).  The Crump Memorial was erected in 1957 to honor long time Memphis Mayor and Boss, E. H. Crump.   The J. T. Willingham Fountain (6 columns in a hexagonal pattern, concrete benches, and a drinking fountain),honors a long-term Memphis Park Commission member.  There was also a glass enclosed pavilion housing the historic Crump Steam Fire engine (It has since been moved to the Fire Department Museum.  click for photo)
        

 

   Higbee Memorial

Higbee Memorial
    Higbee     The Lees

McFarland Clock Tower
       

   Clara Conway Pergola

Clara Conway Pergola

Egyptian Temple 1917

              Ed Crump Memorial
       

<= =   The E. H. Crump Steamer Fire Engine Pavilion at Overton Park 1919-1962    = =>
       

<=    The E. H. Crump Steamer Fire Engine Pavilion at Overton Park 1919-1962    ... Collection Richard S. Brashier    =>
       

Monument to Lillian Byrd  

Statue Liberty Memorial

Monument to Sophie Friedman

            Memphis Belle 2011
       

J. T. Willingham Fountain

J. T. Willingham Fountain

J. T. Willingham Fountain

   

       

Bowers Wading Pool-1914

   Bowers Wading Pool

Wading Pool

Cast Iron Bandstand 1904
       
 
 Veterans Plaza
 

Before there was a Veterans Plaza, there was "The Doughboy" statue - a memorial to World War I.  It was made in 1926 from copper pennies that were collected by local school children.  Today it is the hallmark of Veterans Plaza, which contains memorials to the veterans of Memphis and Shelby County who were killed defending the freedom of the United States.  There are a collection of memorials:  World War I (1926 and 1932), World War II (2001), Korean War (2003), Vietnam War (2003), Desert Storm (2003).  There is also a plaque commending Pete Dugan, a WWII veteran for "...his steadfast commitment to the cause of Veterans Plaza in Overton Park". 

       

Veterans Plaza

Doughboy Statue

Doughboy

Doughboy Vintage Post Card
       

Korean Memorial

Veterans Plaza

Veterans Plaza

Pete Dugan 2009
       
 
Memphis College of Art
 

Memphis College of Art, known before 1985 as the Memphis Academy of Arts, is a small, private college of art and design.  Small by choice and purpose, the school averages around 450 students each year.  The school was founded in 1936 and moved into the new facilities in Overton Park in 1959.
 

Logo MCoA MCoA Studio
       

Metzhall Exhibit MCoA MCoA
       

 
 Japanese Gardens
 

The Japanese Gardens were built in 1914 around an existing pond were the Memphis College of Art is currently located.  It was a gift from former Memphis Park Commissioner Robert Galloway.  George Kessler, who designed Overton Park, also designed the Japanese Garden.  His design included pagodas, an arched bridge to a central island, and many decorative sculptures.   The area was very popular and perhaps the most photographed feature of Overton Park.  After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the gardens were severely damaged by vandalism.  Park officials decided that rather than making repairs, the structures would be removed.  A fountain was installed in the redesigned pond. 

 

Tea House          

Vintage Post Cards of the Japanese Gardens
       

Post Card 1929        

Photo 1919

Photo  c. 1916

Photo c. 1910
       

Japanese Garden Japanese Garden - Winter

1942 Press Scimitar Article

Japanese Garden
 

 
The Formal Gardens

The Walkways, benches, and garden beds of the Formal Gardens extend from Morrie Moss Lane on the western boundary of Overton Park to Veterans Plaza.  They were established in 1904-05 and continue to present a colorful array of seasonal flowers against a background of evergreen and deciduous trees.  The layout of the flower beds has remained basically the same since its inception.  The Clara Conway Memorial Pergola was originally built in conjunction with the Formal Gardens.  The Memorial was destroyed in a 1936 storm, but many residents still associate the Conway name with the Formal Gardens.
 

     Formal Gardens

Formal Gardens

Formal Gardens

       Clara Conway Pergola

 
The Greensward
 

The Greensward is one of the largest open areas in Memphis with no designated purpose other than outdoor recreation.  It provides a safe place to play frisbee, soccer, to jog, picnic, make music, ride bikes, romp with dogs, fly kites, and just hang out.  There are no predetermined locations for activities - just stake a claim to an unoccupied area and have fun.
 

       
       

       

 
 Rainbow Lake
 

Rainbow Lake is a concrete-lined lake forming the eastern boundary of the Greensward.  This 2 acre lake has a curvilinear shape and has a water cascade on the east side.  A sidewalk completely goes around the lake.  Its name comes from the rainbow colors created when a water fountain (no longer present) was installed in the lake in 1929.  It was the only remaining water feature from George Kessler's original plan.
 

       

      Hot Day 1960s

Cold Day 1971

Ice Skating 1941

Pageants 1940s
       

1931

 1916    

 

      

 
Overton Park Golf Course
 

The 9-hole Overton Park Golf Course is located in the southwestern part of the park.  It's a 2,222-yard, par 34 course with 3 sets of tee-boxes for different levels of golfing experience.  The course was built in 1926.  The Abe Goodman Golf Clubhouse is a Tudor-styled, brick building.
 

   

 

Abe Goodman Clubhouse
 

 
 Old Growth Forest 
 

The Old Forest Arboretum (172 acres) is a forest tract and natural arboretum located on the east side of Overton Park.  It is open to the public without charge.  The Old Forest is on the National Register of Historic Places and includes over 300 plant varieties.  Walking trails are maintained within the area and markers identify 32 tree species.
 

       

       
       
 

To HISTORIC MEMPHIS PARKS - Page 2 Click Here

Riverside . Confederate . Jefferson Davis . Forrest . Gaston . Handy . Church . Fairgrounds . Audubon .  East End, etc.
   
 
 

CREDITS: The "Historic-Memphis" Team would like to acknowledge and thank the following organizations for their contributions which helped make this page possible:  Memphis Public Library, Memphis University Library, Memphis Commercial Appeal, Memphis Press Scimitar, Greater Memphis Chamber, Memphis Flyer, Vance Lauderdale Family Archives, Memphis Heritage, Joe Spake, Lee Askew, George Whitworth, and many other individuals whose assistance is acknowledged on individual photos.
 



Your help in updating any information on this page is appreciated.  Thanks to Dave French and Maureen Thoni White for their help with research and their advice. If you have more information or photos, please contact Gene Gill <gene.gill@verizon.net>

 
 

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