Greene County
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History of Nathanael Greene and Close Parks Keeps on Growing
Nathanael Greene Park is a 59-acre tract received as surplus
property from the U.S. Department of Interior and Bureau of Prisons
in 1975.
Over the years, the land has been gradually developed to include the Japanese Stroll Garden, the Gary Campbell Homestead and University of Missouri Extension’s Master Gardener’s Demonstration Garden.
The 55-acre Close Memorial Park was established in cooperation with the Springfield-Greene County Park Board in 1998.
The purchase of the land was made possible by a donation from the C.M. Close family. In that same year, Friends of the Garden Inc. was founded as a support group for Close Park.
By 1999, thanks to a trust fund from the Close family, work on the first garden in Close Park began.
In 2000, Friends of the Garden began planting ornamental trees in the park, a rose garden was developed and the lake was stabilized..
A grant in 2003 from the Missouri Department of Conservation helped to further expand Close Park and turn the one-time tangle of prickly locusts, Osage orange and brush into an inviting open park. And every year since that time – thanks to funds from the Close family and the work of volunteers – additional gardens have been added and expanded.
The first concerted effort to raise private funds for the botanical center began in 2003 following the initial architectural design and estimate.
On Oct. 20, 2006, the Springfield-Greene County Park Board approved a master plan for the Botanical Complex at Nathanael Greene/Close Memorial Park. That master plan includes 33 distinct gardens to be developed over several years.
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You can contribute to the effort to build and sustain a botanical center in Springfield by helping University of Missouri Extension meet its fundraising goal. Make checks payable to University of Missouri with Greene County Extension/Botanical Building in the memo portion of the check. Checks can be sent to the MU Extension Development Office, 109 Whitten Hall, Columbia MO 65211 or to the Greene County Extension Center, 833 Boonville, Springfield, Mo. 65802. Learn more by reading this informational brochure.
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Greene County University of Missouri Extension Center Site maintainer: David Burton - burtond@missouri.edu Updated 10/07/09 |
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