Wilder Park Neighborhood Association

Wilder Park History

Dec 10, 2006

There are many new residents to our area, and even some long term residents ask about Wilder Park.
Wilder Park's boundaries are Central Avenue on the North end, Watterson Expressway on the South, all of 3rd Street on the West and the CSX railroad tracks on the East. If you live within these boarders, you live in the Wilder Park neighborhood, as part of the Louisville Metro.
Other neighborhoods that are near W.P. include Oakdale to the west, Beechmont to the South and South Louisville to the North.
Wilder Park was the sight of Greenland racecourse, which was open 1866-to the mid 1880's. When it closed, the area became Wilder Park and was a favorite site of bicyclists in the late 1800's
The most famous event held in Wilder Park was the picnic on the last day of the Grand Army of the Republic's convention in 1895. The day long event for families and veterans of the Union Army served a hundred thousand people a barbecue including a hundred cattle, three hundred sheep, two hundred pigs, and seventy five gallons of burgoo
Plotting and building of homes escalated around 1904 as access to a new shops and streetcar lines connected downtown to "the most beautiful subdivision in the city".
There is much more recent history, which will be shared in future newsletters. Do you have a piece of Wilder Park history to share with us? Drop us a line or e-mail and we'll share it in the newsletter.
Historical information courtesy of The Encyclopedia of Louisville Copyright 2001 by The University Press of Kentucky