Springfield Park (formerly Dignam Park until 1914, and then Confederate Park until 2020) is a public park in

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville ( ) is the most populous city proper in the U.S. state of Florida, located on the Atlantic coast of North Florida, northeastern Florida. It is the county seat of Duval County, Florida, Duval County, with which the City of Jacksonv ...

, on the southern bounds of the historic neighborhood of Springfield. It is part of a network of parks that parallel Hogan's Creek.

History

Springfield Park was opened in 1907 as Dignam Park, named for a former chairman of the city's Board of Public Works. It was the first Jacksonville city park to include a

playground A playground, playpark, or play area is a place designed to provide an environment for children that facilitates play, typically outdoors. While a playground is usually designed for children, some are designed for other age groups, or people wi ...

.Urban Parks: Confederate Park
Metro Jacksonville website From opening until the Civil rights movement the park was open to whites only. In 1914, Jacksonville hosted the annual reunion of the

United Confederate Veterans The United Confederate Veterans (UCV, or simply Confederate Veterans) was an American Civil War veterans' organization headquartered in New Orleans, Louisiana. It was organized on June 10, 1889, by ex-soldiers and sailors of the Confederate Sta ...

, with estimated attendance of about 8,000 former

Confederate A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

soldiers. The UCV chose the park as the location for a new monument to honor the Women of the Southland, and five months after the reunion the city renamed the park "Confederate Park." Florida's Tribute to the Women of the Confederacy, a monument/statue, was erected in 1915. On August 11, 2020, the

Jacksonville City Council The Jacksonville City Council is the legislature, legislative governing body of the city of Jacksonville, Florida and of Duval County, Florida, Duval County, with which the City of Jacksonville Jacksonville Consolidation, consolidated in 1968. ...

voted to change the name of the park to Springfield Park, after the name of the

neighborhood A neighbourhood (Commonwealth English) or neighborhood (American English) is a geographically localized community within a larger town, city, suburb or rural area, sometimes consisting of a single street and the buildings lining it. Neigh ...

it sits in. The Springfield Park Playground, east of the park, was originally a part of Springfield Park, but was used for

military training Military education and training is a process which intends to establish and improve the capabilities of military personnel in their respective roles. Military training may be voluntary or compulsory duty. It begins with recruit training, proceed ...

during World Wars I and II. It is now a

dog park A dog park is a park for dogs to exercise and play off-leash in a controlled environment under the supervision of their owners. Description Dog parks have varying features, although they typically offer a fence, separate double-gated entry an ...

''Florida's Tribute to the Women of the Confederacy''

The monument was designed in 1914 by sculptor Allen George Newman (1875–1940), and dedicated on October 26, 1915. Jno. Williams, Inc. served as the founder, and McNeel Marble Works served as the work's contractor. Its condition was deemed "treatment needed" by the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums, Education center, education and Research institute, research centers, created by the Federal government of the United States, U.S. government "for the increase a ...

's "

Save Outdoor Sculpture! Save Outdoor Sculpture! (SOS!) was a community-based effort to identify, document, and conserve outdoor sculpture in the United States. The program was initiated in 1989 and ended in 1999. History Save Outdoor Sculpture! was initiated by Heri ...

" program in November 1992. As the inscription says, it was sponsored by the Florida Division of the

. In May 2018, the monument was cited among those targeted by the March for Change, a three-day, 40-mile (64-km) protest against Confederate monuments located in Jacksonville and St. Augustine. It is No. 10 on the Make It Right Project's list of Confederate memorials it wants to see removed. On December 27, 2023, the monument was removed.

Gallery

File:CWVeteransJax.jpg, The 1914 reunion of the

in Jacksonville. File:ConfederateParkJAXPostcard.jpg, Postcard showing Confederate Park in 1918. File:Confederate Park, Jacksonville, FL, US (19).jpg, '' Florida's Tribute to the Women of the Confederacy'' File:Confederate Park, Jacksonville, FL, US.jpg, Memorial to

Robert Burns Robert Burns (25 January 1759 – 21 July 1796), also known familiarly as Rabbie Burns, was a Scottish poet and lyricist. He is widely regarded as the List of national poets, national poet of Scotland and is celebrated worldwide. He is the be ...

File:Confederate Park, Jacksonville, FL, US (15).jpg, Eagle statue File:Confederate Park, Jacksonville, FL, US (17).jpg, Bridge (1929) File:Confederate Park, Jacksonville, FL, US (16).jpg, Entrance to bridge File:Confederate Park, Jacksonville, FL, US (13).jpg, Plaque for Iowa regiment in the Spanish-American War

References

External links

* {{Jacksonville attractions Confederate States of America monuments and memorials in Florida Parks in Jacksonville, Florida 1907 establishments in Florida Naming controversies