Parks and Recreation Department Collection

In 1909 the Denton Chamber of Commerce established a park committee to investigate the value added by city parks in preparation for establishing the first city park in Denton. 1912 saw the creation of the first official Park Board. The first city park, aptly named City Park, was opened in 1923 after pressure and petitions from citizens and groups in Denton resulted in the forcible buy out and removal of the city’s existing black community to make way for the park. The area was subsequently renamed to Civic Center Park before a Texas Historical Commission marker was erected and the park was renamed to Quakertown Park in honor of that displaced community in 2013.

The City Charter of 1959 directed the establishment of a Parks and Recreation Department in Section 5.05. This charter established the department's responsibility for the supervision of maintenance and equipment of parks, playgrounds, athletic fields, swimming pools, recreation centers and buildings and facilities controlled by the City of Denton. However, funds for hiring a Director for the Parks and Recreation Department weren't made available until 1963 and the position staffed on March 1, 1964. That year saw the first planned recreation program offering activities in Track and Field, Pee Wee Football, Tennis, Baseball, Swimming and a Playground Program with a participant total of nearly 13,000 people. The Playground Program accounted for nearly 11,000 of that total.

In 1965 the first Master Plan and Bond Issue for Leisure Services was approved. This million-dollar bond was used to develop the Civic Center, Civic Center Pool and surrounding area that comprised the O'Neil Ford Municipal Complex. The second Master Plan and related bond issues were approved in 1975 and 1976. A $2.5 million bond in 1975 was used to acquire 350 acres of park land while the $2.2 million bond in 1976 was used for the development of recreation facilities which resulted in the construction of the Senior Center and Denia and North Lakes Recreation Centers by 1979.

The City of Denton was the first Texas city to receive a $200,000, 3-year grant to develop a model municipal Therapeutic Recreation program for the state of Texas through the Parks and Recreation Department. This program offered adapted sports leagues, Special Olympics events, day camps, drop-in activities, dances and socials for Denton's citizens with disabilities.

In 1983 a Joint Use Agreement was signed between the Parks and Recreation Department and the Denton Independent School District that made official a previous partnership agreement for the joint use, acquisition and development of current and future parks and school sites. This agreement allowed for the development of a Special Community Leisure Program that provided Parks and Recreation Department classes in Denton's school facilities after school hours.

Because of the Denton Parks and Recreation Department's goal to provide the citizens of Denton with robust and diverse recreation and educational opportunities, such as the annual Arts and Jazz Festival, its precursor Spring Fling and the Texas Storytelling Festival, it has twice received the National Gold Medal Award from the National Recreation and Parks Association (NRPA) in 1985 and 2003.

Outside of parks and recreation facilities, the Parks and Recreation Department also manages the records, operation and maintenance of two city owned cemeteries. Oakwood Cemetery was officially named in 1931, but was created as soon as Denton was established as the new seat of government for the county in 1857. The I.O.O.F. Cemetery was established in 1859, the same year Denton Lodge #82 of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows was chartered. The cemetery served as the main burial site for the city and was eventually deeded to the City of Denton in 1933.

The mission of the Parks and Recreation Department is to unite and grow lives by preserving parks and encouraging play by providing opportunities for passive and active recreation, programs and special events that utilize the city's parks, athletic fields, recreation centers and walking trails. The materials found in this collection document the methods and manners in which the Parks and Recreation Department have served the citizens of Denton, Texas.

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Record and Chronicle, May 4, 1909.

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"The Local News In Brief," Record and Chronicle, November 23, 1912.

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United States. Texas. City of Denton. Charter of the City of Denton, Texas. Article V. 1919.

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United States. Texas. City of Denton. Revised Charter and Codification of Ordinances. Edited by Bruce Davis. 1941.

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United States. Texas. City of Denton. Code of Ordinances of the City of Denton, Texas. Edited by Lee E. Holt. 1959.

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"I.O.O.F. Cemetery," cityofdenton.com. https://www.cityofdenton.com/en-us/residents/parks-recreation/facilities/cemeteries/i-o-o-f-cemetery-(1)

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"Oakwood Cemetery," citofdenton.com. https://www.cityofdenton.com/en-us/residents/parks-recreation/facilities/cemeteries/oakwood-cemetery

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Denton Parks and Recreation Department Collection, 1876-2008.

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City Council Minutes. September 10, 1963.

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"Special Revenue-Recreation Fund," City of Denton Annual Program of Services. 2018.

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"The Quakertown Story," The Denton Review, Michelle Powers Glaze. 1991

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"Denton '64' A Report From Your City Council of the Activities of 1963-1964 and the Progress of Five Years of City Council-Manager Government," Denton Record-Chronicle. Jan. 31, 1965.