Edmonds Playlot Park
History
In 1970, the Chicago Park District began addressing the need for additional parkland in the under-served Englewood neighborhood. Using U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development grant funds, the park district acquired this 1/3-acre property in 1972, and soon improved it as a playlot. Initially designated Witch Hazel Park as part of a city-wide program to name parks for trees and plants, the site was renamed Edmonds Park in 1992 at the request of local residents, who wished to honor their much-respected neighbor Molly Edmonds. Edmonds an active member of the Englewood community, who organized a youth drill team and served as a beat representative for the police department's 7th District. Edmonds took it upon herself to regularly clean the park, and vigilantly watched over the site to keep it free from gang influences.