Springfield Parks, Greenways, and Outdoor Spaces

4/5/16

Today we visited one tiny Springfield-Greene County park and walked around Springfield National Cemetery/Hazelwood Cemetery. 

#46. Kirkwood Park 2201 E. Seminole
This three acre park is south of Glenstone Ave. on Seminole St. We have been here once before. There is no sign but I think there used to be one and there are couple of gravel areas to park. There is a baseball/softball area, a small picnic pavilion and a playground with several play structures. There is a tiny fenced area with a keep-out sign-a sink-hole, maybe? right next to the playground and grass ditch through the middle of the park making the area rather rough. We just spent a few minutes walking through the park and there was no one else here.

Springfield National Cemetery 1702 E. Seminole/Hazelwood Cemetery 1642 E. Seminole
We had never been here before but have driven by many times. The National Cemetery has headstones dating from the Civil War. Many of the men who died at the Battle of Wilson's Creek are buried here. There is a Confederate area with a monument and information on a sign stated most of the Confederate soldiers are unknown soldiers. We saw several unknown soldier headstones in both areas. There many other monuments/memorials throughout the cemetery honoring different wars/battles. Hazelwood Cemetery has graves of both historic and modern persons. I recognized the names of many of Springfield's early settlers. It was interesting looking at the many styles of headstones. I noticed a small, separately fenced area west of the National Cemetery that we did not walk over to. I looked on Hazelwood Cemetery's website when we got home and discovered that it was the Temple Israel Cemetery. The National Cemetery is 22 acres, Hazelwood Cemetery is 60 acres and Temple Israel Cemetery is 2 acres. We spent just under an hour and walked 1 1/2 miles.

We marked just one park off the list tonight but explored another interesting outdoor space. I actually could have spent hours exploring the cemeteries but my walking companions weren't as interested!!