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 Fuqua Park - Duncan, Oklahoma
N 34° 30.394 W 097° 57.975
14S E 594895 N 3818811
Fuqua Park is located in the middle of Duncan off of US 81. Its most famous feature is Kiwanis Kiddieland, a small amusement park.
Waymark Code: WMF51B
Location: Oklahoma, United States
Date Posted: 08/24/2012
Views: 4
It's hard to know where to start describing Fuqua Park. So, let's start with the basics. Most people know it because of the Kiwanis Kiddieland which prominently fronts US 81 as it goes through Duncan. You cannot, however, enter the park from the highway. The main entrance is off of W. Beech Ave. You can exist there or off of N. 14th Street. It is closed from 11:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m.
The park has something for everyone. First and foremost it is super clean with lots of green space and trees. There is a very large gazebo for picnics and other events in the middle of the park. It is surrounded by memorial paver bricks. At the far south end of the park, there is a smaller, but much neater pavilion. It was erected by a local Boy Scout Troop using a once-working oil rig from the Halliburton Company. There is also a memorial plaque describing Halliburton's contributions to the area next to the pavilion.
The park contains two museums. One is the Stephens County Historical Museum inside what used to be the National Guard Armory. The armory is on the National Register of Historic Places. It is open on Tuesdays and Thursday through Saturday in the afternoons. The second museum is a railroad museum dedicated to the Rock Island Line. It is open from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. The railroad museum is free; we don't know about the other one.
The park contains the obligatory playground, but its centerpiece is the Kiwanis Kiddieland, a small amusement park with full-size rides. There;s a wonderful merry-go-round, a toy train that will take you for a ride around the park, a Tilt-a-Whirl, etc. Kiddyland is open in the evenings, starting at 7:00 p.m., from Thursday through Sunday. It does close for rain or inclement weather. It can be rented out for special events.
The rather odd name for the park comes from a family which was well known around southwest Oklahoma, the University of Oklahoma, and Ft. Worth. Its most famous member was Herbert Breedlove "Babe" Fuqua, a Duncan businessman who rose to prominence in business and politics in Ft. Worth.
Name: Fuqua Park
Street Location: US 81 - Entrance is off of W. Beech Ave.
Local Municipality: Duncan
State/Province, etc.: Oklahoma
Country: USA
Web Site: [Web Link]
Memorial/Commemoration: The Fuqua Family
Date Established: Unknown, but the WPA gates are dated 1938
Picnic Facilities: Picnic Tables, a large gazebo, a pavilion built of what was once a working oil rig
Recreational Facilities:
Children's playground; 2 museums, one a historical museum in the old armory, the other a railroad museum; Kiwanis Kiddieland, an amusement park with a merry-go-round, a toy railroad that goes around part of the park, a Tilt-a-Whirl, etc.; small pond with waterfall
Monuments/Statues: Halliburton Monument made out of a once used oil rig; #905 Engine of the Rock Island Line; both the railroad museum and gazebo have memorial paver bricks
Art (murals/sculpture, etc.): None
Fountains: None
Ponds/Lakes/Streams/Rivers/Beach: small artifical pond with waterfall
Special Events: Kiddieland can be rented out for parties; the park hosts events all year long - Sumemrfest, Touch-a-Truck, Fiesta In Fuqua, etc.
Traditional Geocaches:
None
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Visit Instructions:
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