James C. Lillard Railroad Park - Sparks, NV
N 39° 32.081 W 119° 45.223
11S E 263338 N 4379735
This railroad park is located along Victorian Avenue and is named after a former mayor of Sparks, James. C. Lillard.
Waymark Code: WMN7G9
Location: Nevada, United States
Date Posted: 01/12/2015
Views: 4
Located in Victorian Square is the James C. Lillard Railroad Park. It was constructed in 1976 as part of our country's Bicentennial celebration and named after James Lillard, a former City of Sparks Mayor. The park features a train display, a historical one-room schoolhouse, an amphitheater, a former train depot, the Heritage Museum across the street as well as the Memorial Park. A welcome sign in the park with a bicentennial placard reads:
HISTORY
Railroad Park was officially dedicated on July 4, 1976, in commemoration of our nation's 200th birthday. It was officially named James C. Lillard Railroad Park, by the City of Sparks City Council on July 12, 1976, in honor of Mayor James C. Lillard, who duly appointed the City of Sparks Bicentennial Commission. Many outstanding citizens and groups worked together on the Bicentennial project which earned the City of Sparks the honor of being one of the top three bicentennial cities in the United States.
James C. Lillard was born August 27, 1927, in the state of Missouri, and moved to Sparks in 1935. He was educated at Robert Mitchell School, Sparks Junior High School, Sparks High School and obtained a B.A. in Business Administration at Reno Business College. He served in the United States Navy during World War II.
James C. Lillard was also very active in many community service programs and was elected to office as Mayor of the City of Sparks in June 1971 and again in June 1975 and served until 1979.
THE CITY OF SPARKS BICENTENNIAL COMMISSION
This railroad park is a nice addition to Victorian Square here in Sparks.