Archer (William Beatty) Park

Archer Park takes its name from the surrounding Archer Heights community. The community and its main artery, Archer Avenue, are named for Col. William Beatty Archer (1793-1870), a Commissioner for the Illinois and Michigan Canal, which paralleled the road in the 1800s. Archer, an abolitionist as well as a civil engineer, nominated Abraham Lincoln for Vice President in 1856. The Chicago Park District acquired land from 1949-1950 and established Archer Park to provide green space in an area then experiencing significant industrial development. The new park was part of a ten-year, district-wide program to increase recreational opportunities in underserved neighborhoods in post-World War II Chicago. Archer Park provided solely outdoor recreational facilities until 1970, when the Park District constructed a small fieldhouse.