Five Rivers MetroParks Records (formerly Dayton-Montgomery County Park District Records) (MS-45)

Five Rivers MetroParks, formerly the Montgomery County Park District, was formed on April 8, 1963. Montgomery and Greene Counties shared a mutual concern for the rapid deterioration of open space. As a result, the Save Open Space Committee was formed. After considering possible resolutions for suburban sprawl, a park district was chosen as the solution. William P. Patterson, Harry S. Price, Jr., and Charles S. Price were appointed to the Board of Park Commissioners. On March 2, 1864, J. Richard Lawwill, former superintendent of Columbus’ park system, was hired as the organization’s first Director-Secretary.

Eugene Kettering donated $250,000 for the acquisition of the park district’s first properties. On April 1, 1965, 223 acres were purchased and named Drylick Run. This land is currently in the boundaries of Carriage Hill Metropark. In May 1865, the park district led a major campaign to pass the organization’s first levy. Using the slogan, “Vote Green – It’s Now or Never,” the $300,000 levy passed in a 52% favor.

Major land purchases included 275 acres at Possum Creek (1966), and Sugarcreek (1966), which grew to 540 acres by the end of the year. The following decade, James Cox, Jr. donated his farm and set-up a $300,000 trust fund to support what became Cox Arboretum (1972). In 1974, the park district won another great victory with the passing of the $500,000 levy by 62% favor. Another horticultural park was acquired in 1977 when Marie Aull donated her home and thirty-acre garden to the Park District.

The 1990s saw an increased focus on Dayton’s waterways. The first major water acquisition was Eastwood Metropark (1990). From 1994-1995, the Park District also acquired Island, Van Cleve, Deeds Point, Wesleyan Nature Center, Sunrise, and Wegerzyn Metro Parks. After a string of names for the organization, including Montgomery County Park District, Dayton-Montgomery County Park District, and Park District of Dayton-Montgomery County, the public had grown confused over park ownership in Montgomery County. To resolve this issue, on July 20, 1995, Five Rivers MetroParks was chosen as the new name, which distinctly separated the organization from the State of Ohio.

In 1999, Five Rivers MetroParks developed the plan for “Parks 21,” a vision focusing on education and downtown development for the parks. On November 7, 2000, Daytonians demonstrated enormous support for the program, voting 65% in favor of the 1.8 million dollar levy. The first major project of Parks 21 was Riverscape Metropark. The opening was held on May 19, 2001, and over 50,000 people flocked downtown for activities, music, and the Five Rivers Fountain.

Considerable growth in recreational and educational opportunities has taken place in recent years. In 2002, the Stillwater Bikeway was completed, and the Huffman interpretive center had its grand reopening. The following year the Zorniger Education campus opened at Cox Arboretum. In 2006, the Children’s Discovery Garden opened at Wegerzyn Metropark. Many properties have also been purchased along the river corridor. In 2011, a massive project began to fight the effects of the Emerald Ash Borer.

More detailed history, including individual park histories, is available online at https://www.metroparks.org/about/history/.