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Main Street and N. 5th Avenue |
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Virtual Tour: click here |
Open Dawn to Dusk
Fast Facts
Park Type: Mini Park
Acreage: 0.9
Park/Facility Code: BMP
Other
This park is home to one of the Park District’s permanent sculptures, Framework for a Donut by Howard J. Russo, sponsored by the Public Art Committee of the Downtown St. Charles Partnership in cooperation with the Park District. It was dedicated October 27, 2007.
Amenities
- Landscaped Plaza
- Parking – Street
- Sculpture
- Seating – Bench (Metal)
- Trails – Paved
History
Established: 1899
Acquired: 1975
In Historic Downtown St. Charles
Established in the 1920’s, this park was named in honor of Colonel Edward J. Baker, St. Charles’ great philanthropist, on his 89th birthday in September 1957. Baker was a farmer who inherited the fortune of his brother-in-law John Gates who founded Texaco Oil. Baker built many buildings that both beautify and serve the community. In 1959, Baker died leaving the legacy of his fortune in the hands of his niece Dellora A. Norris.
During the earliest days of St. Charles’ settlement, this area now known as Baker Memorial Park, was part of Evan Shelby’s claim. Shelby was the first white settler to come to the area in 1833, and he built a cabin near the property. Right before his death in 1837, Bela T. Hunt bought the land. A year later, John Penny acquired the property and established a brickyard at the north end of the property. Sometime later, the land was purchased by James and Van Rockwell, I.G. Langum, Ira Minard, Effie Hunt and Harriet Richmond who donated it to the City of St. Charles, naming it East Side Park.