Clover Playlot Park (c/o Trebes Park)
History
The now-affluent Lincoln Park neighborhood was experiencing decay in 1958, when the City of Chicago purchased this property on Southport Avenue for park development. The city transferred the site to the Chicago Park District the following year, along with more than 250 other properties. The new park was soon equipped with a basketball court, a sand box, playground apparatus, In 1992, the park district thoroughly rehabilitated the park, installing a soft surface playground, planting trees, and adding ornamental iron fencing along Southport Avenue. The Sheffield Neighborhood Association led an effort to raise funds for the Clover Park improvements and other parks in the Lincoln Park area.
Officially designated Clover Park in 1975, the park was one of a number of properties named for plants and trees at the time. Clover is an herb characterized by trifoliate leaves and dense heads of flowers. Clover is a common pasture plant and its blossoms are a favorite of bees. Red clover is said to signify "dignity," white clover, "promise." The ancient Celts and Druids believed that clover, especially four-leaved clover, was sacred, giving rise to the modern notion that a four-leaved clover will bring good luck. The clover, or shamrock, is still associated with Ireland.
