Putting in the Park
Cruising the Philly Metro on the bus this morning(this has become a regular occurrence), i happened across an article about a new mini golf course that opened in Franklin Square last year. How could I pass up sharing this great summer activity with you all?
Franklin Square is one of the five original open-space parks planned by William Penn during the late 17th century in central Philadelphia. It was originally named northeast park but was changed in 1825 to honor Ben Franklin. In its early years, the square was an open common used for grazing animals, storing gun powder (during the American Revolution) drilling soldiers (during the War of 1812). From 1741 to 1835, a portion of the Square was used as a cemetery by the German Reform Church; some of the graves still remain. The area around the square began to decline around the 1920s. After construction of the Ben Franklin Bridge(1922-26), traffic cut off 2 sides of the park to pedestrians and construction of the Vine Street Expressway in the late 1980s only exacerbated the problem. Over the last four decades, Franklin square has been one of the least used parks of the original five, unless you count the homeless making camp there. In honor of Franklin’s tercentenary, Once Upon A Nation and Fairmount Park debuted the newly renovated Franklin Square in July 2006 and since then theres been over 500,000 visitors. The new features from the renovations are the Philadelphia Park Liberty Carousel, Philly Miniature Golf( with miniature replica’s of Philly landmarks), new playgrounds and a restored 19th-Century Fountain.
Conveniently located near Philadelphia’s Historic District, a game of mini golf in Franklin Square is the perfect way to end a day of touring the city.
Related articles and sites
Metro: Goodtimes file
gophila
about.com: Franklin Square
Franklin Square, Ben Franklin, Ben Franklin Bridge, Mini Golf, Philly Parks, Fairmont Park, Once Upon A Nation
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