Ellis Park
Little park that I pass through,I carry off a piece of you
Every morning hurrying down
To my work-day in the town;
Carry you for country there
To make the city ways more fair.
I take your trees,
And your breeze,
Your greenness,
Your cleanness,
Some of your shade, some of your sky,
Some of your calm as I go by;
Your flowers to trim
The pavements grim;
Your space for room in the jostled street
And grass for carpet to my feet.
Your fountains take and sweet bird calls
To sing me from my office walls.
All that I can see
I carry off with me.
But you never miss my theft,
So much treasure you have left.
As I find you, fresh at morning,
So I find you, home returning --
Nothing lacking from your grace.
All your riches wait in place
For me to borrow
On the morrow.
Do you hear this praise of you,
Little park that I pass through?
By; Helen Hoyt
Helen Hoyt
Poet Helen Hoyt, who also used the name Helen Hoyt
Lyman, was born in 1887 in Norwalk, Connecticut. The daughter of former Pennsylvania
governor Henry Hoyt, she was educated at Barnard College. She wrote her most
well-known poem, “Ellis Park,” while living in Chicago and working as an
associate editor for Poetry. Hoyt also edited an issue of Others: A
Magazine of the New Verse (1916). In that issue, Hoyt addressed her
interest in poetry as a space for women’s voices: “At present most of what we
know, or think we know, of women has been found out by men. We have yet to hear
what woman will tell of herself, and where can she tell more intimately than in
poetry?”In her poetry, Hoyt explored gender, the body, and nature. She authored several collections, including Apples Here In My Basket (1924), Leaves of Wild Grape (1929), and Poems of Amis (1946). Her poetry is also featured in several anthologies, including The New Poetry: An Anthology (1917) and The Second Book of Modern Verse (1920).
After marrying William Whittingham Lyman, Hoyt moved to St. Helena, California, where she spent her later years. She was the aunt of poet Elinor (Hoyt) Wylie. Hoyt died in 1972.
Park History
History
The earliest
beginnings of the Danville park system can be traced back to 1913 when 49 acres
were set aside to safeguard the wells that provided the Town's water supply. In
1971, the park was renamed in honor of Harve Ellis who served as Park
Superintendent for 40 years. As the population of Danville grew, Ellis Park
grew to meet the recreational needs of its citizens. A variety of ball fields
were built, shelters were constructed, and playground equipment was installed.
The pool, which has been a centerpiece of the park's various recreational
activities, was rehabbed in 1982 and the complex was renamed Gill Pool in honor
of William T. Gill who gathered community support and led the charge for the
pool's initial construction in 1959. In 2005 the Gill Pool was
completely reconstructed and renamed the Gill Family Aquatic Center. This new
leisure pool offers zero entry, spray ground, lazy river, vortex, and two
over 125 ft. water slides.
Another popular feature in Ellis Park is the
amphitheater. Provided by the White Lick Arts Foundation in 1988, the
amphitheater adds another dimension to the park's growing versatility. This
outdoor venue allows a wide range of musical guests to entertain the community
during the summer months.
For most
young children, their favorite attraction at Ellis Park is the Playscape.
Funding for this project began with grants from Lilly and the White
Lick Heritage Community Foundation which was then matched by public
donations. The Playscape was completely constructed using only volunteer
manpower during a six-day span in 1998. It offers a unique environment for
children to play, explore, and stretch their imaginations.
The most
recent addition to Ellis Park is the newly constructed "train
station" next to the clay tennis courts. This building contains a
gracious meeting room with a stone fireplace, fully equipped kitchen,
restrooms, and an indoor/outdoor concession stand. Perfect for reunions,
receptions, weddings, parties or any meeting type event. Comfortably
seats 100 people.
Blanton
Woods
Mrs.
Jeanette Blanton and family donated 53 acres of woodland to the Town of
Danville in 1993. The property is comprised of lower floodplain, upland
forest and open meadows. Mrs. Blanton donated the land with the agreement
that it would be strictly used for nature study. She asked that no
"active recreational" areas ever be built on the property. The
property was named "Blanton Woods Nature Park". In the year
2000, after the passing of Mrs. Blanton, the town was offered the purchase of
her home and another 20 acres. So, the town council agreed to buy the
property. That house is now known as the Blanton House Conference and
Retreat Center. The house is available for weddings, retreats,
meetings, and small parties. In 2003, the park department purchased land
off of Columbia Street to physically join together Blanton Woods and Ellis
Park. At that point in time a $150,000 pedestrian bridge was erected over
White Lick Creek. Thousands of hikers have enjoyed walking to and from both
parks. The Blanton Estates are truly one of Danville's finest assets.
For a Map of
Blanton Woods please click here Danville Parks and Recreation Park Map
Divisions
Boards / Commissions
Ellis
Park, takes its name from Samuel Ellis, who ran a tavern on 35th Street near
the Vincennes Trail (now Avenue) in the 1830s. In 1855, Ellis subdivided his
land holdings between 31st and 39th Streets, from Lake Michigan to South Park Boulevard
(now Martin Luther King Drive), donating a wedge-shaped parcel to the city for
use as a public park. The area surrounding Ellis Park developed as the
fashionable Oakland neighborhood, but by 1900 the wealthy had begun to move
out, and their homes were being recycled as apartments and rooming houses.
Ellis Park, too, had been carved up by adjacent residents who extended
sidewalks from their homes and planted trees and shrubs on either side. A
decaying bandstand added to the sense of disorder. In the early 1900s, the
Special Park Commission reclaimed Ellis Park from encroaching property owners.
Noted landscape architect and commission member Jens Jensen completely
redesigned the 3-acre park. His 1906 plan included two ornamental fountains and
a circular, tree-edged lawn. By 1940, the surrounding neighborhood had
experienced further decline. The federal government responded by erecting the
Ida B. Wells housing project. Across the street at Ellis Park, the Bureau of
Parks and Recreation (successor to the Special Park Commission) installed two
new wading pools which drew more than 14,000 children the first summer. The
city transferred Ellis Park to the Chicago Park District in 1959. In 1964, the
park district and the Chicago Board of Education began joint operation of the
new Donoghue Elementary School at 37th Street and Cottage Grove Avenue. Several
years later, the park district purchased additional property east, west, and
north of the original park, tripling its size. The park district and the board
of education continued to offer joint programming at Donoghue School. Following
the demolition of the Ida B. Wells and Madden Park Homes, the programs for
Ellis Park were relocated to Doolittle School in the Fall of 2010
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