Kitchell Park

	Kitchell Park
	U.S. National Register of Historic Places
	The Chautauqua pavilion
Location	Jct. of Ninth and Kitchell Sts., Pana, Illinois
Coordinates	39°22′47″N 89°4′45″W / 39.37972°N 89.07917°W
Area	40 acres (16 ha)
Built	1908
NRHP reference No.	92001538
Added to NRHP	November 5, 1992

Kitchell Park is a park which is listed on the United States National Register of Historic Places. The park is in the city of Pana, Illinois, located in Christian County. A 40-acre (160,000 m²) facility, Kitchell is one of the city's main parks. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1992.^[1]

History

Kitchell Park was given to the city of Pana by John W. Kitchell and his wife Mary Little Kitchell in 1908. It is home to several unique and old features. The round Chautauqua Pavilion was built in 1911 and has attracted such speakers as William Jennings Bryan, World War I hero Sergeant York and Billy Sunday among others. The Schuyler Bridge was constructed entirely of concrete in 1910. The park's ornate main gate acted as the entrance booth for the Tri-County Fair which was held on park grounds from 1885 until it moved to its present fairgrounds in 1949. Part of the park's original horse track is still one of the main roads through the park. The story is that Frank James of the Missouri Gang was starter and timekeeper at the track in his later years, after he was pardoned by authorities.^[2]

Today the park is home to tennis courts, a disc golf course, softball and baseball diamonds, a swimming pool, playgrounds and a picnic area. The park's auditorium is the result of a deluge, 6.5 inches of rain, that fell on the area in 1910. It was felt that if the pavilion were to survive adequate shelter would need to be provided. At the time of its construction the auditorium was called one of the most modern in the nation with its seating capacity of 3,500 and 35 X 45-foot (14 m) stage. The auditorium was renovated in 1955 through funding from the Pana Lions Club. New paint, a concrete floor and rewiring for the installation of 24 overhead lights were all included in the project.^[2]

Notes

^ ^a ^b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
^ ^a ^b City Parks: Kitchell Park, City of Pana. Archived from the original on March 10, 2007.

External links

Saving Chautauqua: Pana residents rally to refurbish historic Kitchell Park pavilion

[nris-1] "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.

[pana-2] City Parks: Kitchell Park, City of Pana. Archived from the original on March 10, 2007.

[1]

[2]

v t e U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Topics	Architectural style categories Contributing property Historic district History of the National Register of Historic Places Keeper of the Register National Park Service Property types
Lists by state	List of U.S. National Historic Landmarks by state: Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming
Lists by insular areas	American Samoa Guam Minor Outlying Islands Northern Mariana Islands Puerto Rico Virgin Islands
Lists by associated state	Federated States of Micronesia Marshall Islands Palau
Other areas	District of Columbia American Legation, Morocco
Related	National Historic Preservation Act Historic Preservation Fund List of jails and prisons on the National Register of Historic Places University and college buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places portal Category