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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 2, 2009
Contact:
, Austin Public Library, (512) 974-7379
Fax: (512) 974-7442
Wooldridge ~ Our First Park: Celebrating 100 Years, 1909-2009
The Austin History Center, Austin Public Library, presents Wooldridge ~ Our First Park: Celebrating 100 Years, 1909-2009, a photograph exhibit on the history of Wooldridge Square. The exhibit opens on June 18, 2009, Wooldridge Square’s 100th Birthday, and through historic photographs from the History Center collections, shows the history of the park and its use from many vantage points. The exhibit will be on display in the David Earl Holt Reception Room in the Austin History Center, 810 Guadalupe Street, through October 18, 2009. It is free and open to the public. For more information please call 512- 974-7480 or visit www.cityofaustin.org/library.
 About Wooldridge Square
The site of the square was designated as a public park when the City of Austin was first laid out in 1839. For nearly seventy years the park served intermittently as a city dump and a lake/pond, but rarely was it used as a park. In 1909, A. P. Wooldridge had a vision to recapture and renew this space. His vision transformed the space, and on June 18, 1909, the park officially opened as Wooldridge Square, named in his honor. Over 3000 people attended the opening ceremony that included speechifying by Wooldridge and Business League President W. H. Cullen and a two-hour concert by William Besserrer’s band. The park was regularly used for concerts – from the Municipal Band of the 1910s to the Austin Chamber Players. The Square has also been an important political stump site for numerous political campaigns, including all Texas Governors from William Hobby to Allan Shivers and even Lyndon Baines Johnson during his 1964 campaign.
About Alexander Penn Wooldridge
A. P. Wooldridge was one of the most influential people in the early development of Austin. Born on 12 April 1847 in New Orleans, Wooldridge came to Austin in 1872 and immediately became active in civic affairs around town. Known as the “father of public schools in Austin,” he spearheaded the effort to create a free school system in Austin, and he was elected to the first Board of Trustees for the school system in 1880. Wooldridge also took a leadership role in securing Austin as the site of the University of Texas and the creation of the first dam on the Colorado River (at the site of the current Tom Miller Dam). He also elected Mayor of Austin in April 1909, the city’s 1st mayor under the new commission form of government. He served as mayor for 10 years before retiring in 1919. He passed away on 8 September 1930.
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