Overton Park has been central to the artistic life of the city since Brooks Museum opened its doors more than 100 years ago. To honor that legacy, the Conservancy engages local artists to design everything from sculptural gateways to t-shirts. For our 2019 shirts, we
“In the early 2000s, you could not go 100 feet on the Old Forest trails before having to crawl through a blockage. It was that overgrown with brush.” Sam Blair remembers an Old Forest that was far less welcoming than it is today. An attorney
Romney Grandi shared these photos of her family enjoying the snow in Overton Park. These were taken in 1958 near hole #5 of the golf course. Romney (wearing the light-colored hat) sledded through the park with her brother Michael, sister Sharon, and dad Elmo. This
We recently shared Shirley Tyus’ recollections of Overton Park. One of Shirley’s closest friends since age nine was Lina Farley Rhodes, with whom she grew up performing at Rainbow Lake and the Overton Park Shell. Lina was a WAC in WWII and often took her
Shirley Virginia Larry Tyus was born on January 2, 1917 and has a lifetime of memories of Overton Park. We are so thrilled that she shared some of them with us at the Overton Park Stories event at the Memphis & Shelby County Room this
Terry Starr has a wealth of stories about growing up near Overton Park. Later in her life, the park also brought her some special magic in the form of a treasured friendship. We’re so fortunate that she chose to share those stories with us. I’m
Cassandra Johnson visited our Overton Park Stories event at the Central Library in June, and submitted a photo of the park along with a poem she wrote about her favorite ways to use the park. Thanks so much, Cassandra! Stories of Overton Park by Cassandra
Gwen and Ernie Vescovo attended the Overton Park Stories event at the Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library’s Memphis & Shelby County Room in June. These are some of the stories and photos they shared with us. (Click the photos to see larger versions.) Last Day
Jessica and Corey Peart are volunteers with Team Overton Park. They choose to give back to the park because it’s been such a major part of their history together. They sat down to tell us what Overton Park means to them. Corey: I’m originally from
Jordan Stephens has been playing golf at the Overton Park golf course practically his whole life. He shares the story of one truly special weekend on the links. One of my earliest memories of swinging a golf club is at Overton Park. For the golfers
