Minuteman Park

Park Details

Main Address

5940 S. Central Ave.
Chicago, IL 60638
United States

  • Tel: (773) 284-0214 | Main
Park Supervisor
Arnie Rimando
Park Hours
Open
| 6:00 am-11:00 pm

Minuteman Park

Description

Located in the Clearing Community, Minuteman Park totals 8.92 acres and features a multi-purpose room. A green feature of the park includes a Harvest Garden. Outside, the park offers softball/baseball diamonds, a tennis court, and a sand volleyball court. Many of these spaces are available for rental including our fields.

Park-goers can participate in seasonal sports, playschool activities, and arts and crafts. After school programs are offered throughout the school year, and during the summer, youth attend the Park District’s popular six-week day camp. Specialty camps are offered in the summer as well, and include Volleyball Camp.

In addition to programs, Minuteman Park hosts fun special events throughout the year for the entire family, such as holiday-themed events.

History

In the late 1960s, the Chicago Plan Commission identified approximately nine acres of vacant property near Midway Airport for park development. At the time the surrounding Clearing and Garfield Ridge neighborhoods were both experiencing tremendous population growth and a shortage of recreational facilities. The Chicago Park District acquired the property in 1970, using U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development grant funds. The following year, the Park District improved the site with ball fields and tennis courts. After 1986, a mobile trailer/fieldhouse provided space for indoor activities. (A newer model replaced the original trailer ten years later.)

The park's patriotic name was selected in 1976 through a Bicentennial Committee contest conducted in the surrounding 23rd Ward. The minutemen were American colonial militiamen who pledged to take up arms at a minute's notice to aid the cause of Revolution. The first group of minutemen formed in Worcester County, Massachusetts in September, 1774. Similar units were organized in nearby counties in subsequent months. On April 19, 1775, the Battles of Lexington and Concord provided the first test of the minutemen. Seven hundred British troops engaged 77 minutemen on the village green at Lexington, Massachusetts. Unable to hold their ground at Lexington, the colonists turned the tide at the Concord Bridge, where no more than 400 patriots forced the British to withdraw. The American success at Concord prompted the Continental Congress to recommend the formation of minuteman units in other colonies.

Additional Information

For directions using public transportation visit www.transitchicago.com.

Programs at Minuteman Park

Most programs run from Monday, June 16 to Sunday, August 10 Online registration beings In-person registration begins
Day Camp at Minuteman
Camp
General Interest
At least 6 but less than 10 years 6 months
From June 23, 2025 to August 1, 2025
Each Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday from 9am to 3pm
Except the following dates:
Friday, Jul 4, 2025
$260.00
Extended Camp at Minuteman
Camp
General Interest
At least 6 but less than 10 years 6 months
From June 23, 2025 to August 1, 2025
Each Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday from 3pm to 5pm
Except the following dates:
Friday, Jul 4, 2025
$58.00
Play Camp at Minuteman
Camp
General Interest
At least 4 but less than 6
From June 23, 2025 to August 1, 2025
Each Monday,Wednesday,Friday from 9am to 12pm
Except the following dates:
Friday, Jul 4, 2025
$83.00
Rec Leader in Training at Minuteman
Camp
Special Interest
At least 13 but less than 16
From June 23, 2025 to August 1, 2025
Each Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday from 9am to 3pm
Except the following dates:
Friday, Jul 4, 2025
$0.00