Ceremony marks placement on National Register

The large statue of the park's founder was rededicated.
By DENISE DICK
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Volney Rogers founded Mill Creek Park 115 years ago as Ohio's first park district, and the legacy of his work remains within its more than 4,000 acres.
Park officials gathered Tuesday afternoon to commemorate the park district's placement on the National Register of Historic Places. The park, with the exception of areas younger than 50 years, was named to the register in 2005.
"We're here to honor and to celebrate the past and give thanks to previous generations for this green cathedral in our midst," said Susan Dicken, park executive director.
The park began with 400 acres and now covers 4,300 acres in seven townships and three cities in Mahoning County.
The ceremony also marked the rededication of the Rogers Memorial Statue. The hulking bronze figure at the park's entrance at Glenwood and Falls avenues was recently restored.
Ohio's first park district
Rogers, a Youngstown attorney, founded Mill Creek Park in 1891, making it Ohio's first park district. He wrote the legislation allowing creation of a park district and persuaded state lawmakers to pass it.
"Around 1890, after much exploration outside the city on horseback and on foot, Rogers decided that a section of land bordering Mill Creek should be set aside and protected from impending industrial development," said Carol Potter, park development and marketing director.
After the state Legislature passed his bill and Youngstown voters approved it, Rogers persuaded 196 landowners to sell their property to create the park, Potter said.
"People flocked to the park," she said. "Families not only had a destination for Sunday outings, but they had a place to make memories."
Ceremony attendees unveiled a marker designating the park's inclusion on the National Register. Similar markers will be placed at park entrances throughout the park.
Judge Timothy P. Maloney of Mahoning County Probate Court said the park's creation demonstrates that Rogers, who died in 1919, was a giver of his time and efforts. One of Judge Maloney's duties as probate judge is to appoint members to the park board.
Legacy award
M. Virginia Dailey, president of the park board, also dedicated the first Volney Rogers Legacy Award to the entities and individuals that helped the park district secure 256 acres between Western Reserve and Calla roads in Beaver Township, for the Mill Creek Wildlife Sanctuary.
The plaque lists the John S. and Doris Andrews Memorial Fund, the Florence and Ward Beecher Foundation, Hynes-Finnegan Foundation, Gregory Ridler and David Sabine of the Sky Trust Foundation and Clean Ohio Grant.
The park district received a $285,000 Clean Ohio grant to fund part of the purchase of the former Paradise Fish Farm with the foundations and trusts covering the remainder of the $500,000 price.