Honeysuckle Playlot Park
History
The Chicago Park District created Honeysuckle Park in 1970 to provide recreational facilities for the previously under-served Grand Boulevard neighborhood. The park was one of a number of park properties named for plants and trees in the early 1970s. Honeysuckles are ornamental shrubs grown for their handsome flowers and attractive berries. One species, the Japanese honeysuckle, was introduced to America by Dr. George Hall, founder of the Hospital for Seamen in Shanghai, who mailed a cutting home from China in 1862. The Japanese honeysuckle soon spread over the entire East Coast, quickly becoming a pest.