Trails of the Trees - Quakertown Park - Denton, TX
Posted by: Groundspeak Premium Member QuarrellaDeVil
N 33° 13.050 W 097° 07.739
14S E 674364 N 3676959
The trailhead for three short trails in Denton's historic Quakertown Park can be found in front of the Denton Civic Center, 321 E McKinney St, Denton, TX.
Waymark Code: WMQ1ZA
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 12/02/2015
Published By:Groundspeak Regular Member condor1
Views: 5

A 2010 Texas Historical Marker just behind the trailhead sign provides some background of the unfortunate history here:

In the early 1880s, Quakertown emerged as a thriving African American community in the heart of Denton. Quakertown flourished through 1920, its growth due in part to its location near the city square and the opportunities it provided African Americans. The community was bounded by Withers Street on the north, Oakland Avenue on the west, Bell Avenue on the east, and by Cottonwood and Pecan Creeks on the south. Although many residents worked for businesses on the nearby city square, at the College of Industrial Arts (now Texas Woman's University), and as servants for white households, Quakertown prospered as a self-supporting community. Several churches, a physician's office, lodges, restaurants, and small businesses joined homes to line the streets of the community. The neighborhood school, the Fred Douglass School, burned in Sep. 1913 and was rebuilt along Wye Street in southeast Denton in 1916, foreshadowing events to come.

By 1920, the proximity of Quakertown to the growing College of Industrial Arts and civic-minded interests of Denton's white residents threatened the future of Quakertown. Many believed that it was in the best interest of the college and the Denton community to transform Quakertown into a city park. In Apr. 1921, with little input from its residents, the city voted 367 to 240 in favor of a bond to purchase Quakertown. More than 60 families lost their homes. The majority of the displaced residents relocated to southeast Denton on 21 acres of land, platted as Solomon Hill, sold to them by rancher Albert L. Miles. Others, including many Quakertown community leaders, chose to leave Denton altogether. By Feb. 1923, Quakertown had disappeared in the midst of the new park's construction.

--

There is plenty of parking in the lot in front of the adjacent Denton Civic Center. All three trails overlap, with the Live Oak Trail going .37 mi, the Pecan Trail going .5 mi, and the Cedar Trail going .83 mi.
Trailhead/trail website: [Web Link]

Trail allowances or restrictions:
This is a foot path in a city, but dogs and human-powered wheels are OK. That's it: No horses or vehicles.


Trail type: Concrete pavement

Parking: Not Listed

Visit Instructions:
To claim a log for this waymark, some proof of a visit is required. This proof could be a simple photo of their GPS at the trailhead, a photo of the person at the trailhead, or a photo of a signature item that a person uses for photographs, at the trailhead.

In order to help other waymarkers who are looking for a nice hike/walk outdoors, you are encouraged to provide good feedback about the quality of the hike/trail.
Search for...
Geocaching.com Google Map
Google Maps
MapQuest
Bing Maps
Nearest Waymarks
Nearest Hiking and walking trailheads
Nearest Geocaches
Create a scavenger hunt using this waymark as the center point
Recent Visits/Logs:
Date Logged Log User Rating  
grampa bob 14 visited Trails of the Trees - Quakertown Park - Denton, TX 08/31/2016 grampa bob 14 visited it
KidWrangler visited Trails of the Trees - Quakertown Park - Denton, TX 03/26/2016 KidWrangler visited it
wb96bobwhite visited Trails of the Trees - Quakertown Park - Denton, TX 03/26/2016 wb96bobwhite visited it

View all visits/logs