Thomas Park, Marion, Iowa

by Kathleen Huebener in Art Inspires Art
     
Thomas Park, an icon in Marion history, flows with life.

In the fall of 1921, 13 acres of the Toms land was bought for $6,500. The land was well- known as a place where Indians camped overnight, as they traveled through the area. “Dickey” Thomas had been the original owner of the tract; thus when purchased, the park became Thomas Park. Thomas’s daughter gave a millstone from
her father’s mill to be embedded in the fieldstone columns erected at the entrance in 1922. 

 

The Indian Creek that flows through the park teems with wildlife: ducks, fish, and crawdads, just to name a few. Activities reign at this popular park: Frisbee golf, hiking on the Boyson Trail, volleyball courts, pavilions for picnics and gatherings, playground equipment, and more.

 

A spring-fed “freezing cold at all times” pool had been located there, serving young and old alike for years. When the pool couldn’t be repaired any longer, a replacement pool was built in east Marion. The former pool area, filled in with sand, became the volleyball courts found today.

 

While Thomas Park is an icon rich in Marion’s history, it is an icon rich in popularity even today.    

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