Events
Aug
12
Hours
Park Hours
Description
Located in the Humboldt Park Community Area, Augusta Park totals 1.05 acres and features a small fieldhouse for children and community gatherings. Outside, the park offers a playground area and baseball field.
Many of these spaces are available for rental for community meetings and small birthday parties.
After school programs are offered throughout the school year, and in the summer youth attend the Park District’s popular six-week day camp. Specialty camps are offered in the fall and spring as well, including winter and spring break camps.
In addition to programs, Augusta Park hosts fun special events throughout the year for the whole family, such as egg hunts, Earth Day clean-ups and Movies in the Park screenings.
History
The City of Chicago purchased the property for Augusta Park in 1932. The city's Bureau of Parks and Recreation operated the park until 1957, when it was transferred to the Chicago Park District pursuant to the Chicago Park and City Exchange of Functions Act.
Although there is no clear record of this park's naming, the Bureau of Parks and Recreation often used adjacent street names for purposes of identification. Augusta Boulevard apparently takes its name from Augusta Carpenter, daughter of Philo Carpenter (1805-1886), Chicago's first druggist. Carpenter traveled from Chicago to Troy, New York by mail coach and Indian canoe in 1832. Upon arrival, he opened a drug store near the river on what is now Lake Street. By 1834, he had made a fortune investing in real estate. Carpenter later became a vocal advocate of abolitionism and temperance, and served as a director of the Chicago Theological Seminary. The Chicago Park District has recognized Carpenter's role in the city's early history by naming another park for him.
