- A 250-seat amphitheater with a 18 by 30-foot stage, wired for sound and light equipment
- A re-creation of the original spring used by our founders near the site of the park
- An upland woods area depicting the natural hardwood forest which once existed on the site including a 10 by 120-foot historical mural covering the first 100 years of Springfield's citizens, buildings and local historical events
- A historical timeline that describes the growth of Springfield during the first 100 years and how national and international events played a part in the city's development
- An area for native prairie grasses which existed on the nearby Kickapoo Prairie
Reservations
Download the
reservation application (PDF).
Location
Founders Park is located on a 0.7-acre site at the corner of Jefferson Avenue and Water Street at 330 E Water Street. In 1829, Springfield founding father John Polk Campbell staked his claim to homestead what soon became Springfield by marking trees near a spring in this area. The site has previously served as the location for a stone quarry, a blacksmith shop, the Herman-Sanford Horse Collar Factory, the Silsby Stove and Hardware Company, a lumberyard, and a railroad right of way.