Cameron Park

Cameron Park is a 416acre urban park located in Waco, Texas. The park was dedicated on May 27, 1910, and named in memory of Waco philanthropist and lumber baron William Cameron. The park also contains Waco's 52acre zoo, the Cameron Park Zoo.HistoryIn the early 20th century, as Waco continued to develop as the urban heart of McLennan County and the progressive movement was rising throughout America, Waco citizens began to clamor for more parks and green spaces to be preserved for public use. Many wanted to make Proctor Springs, a popular gathering site near the Brazos River that had become subject to commercialization around the turn of the century, the site of a new city park. Before the city could act, the land was purchased for $25,000 by a businessman, W.C. Lawson. Despite this apparent setback, the hopes of Wacoans to preserve Proctor Springs were not lost; on May 24, 1910, Flora B. Cameron, wife of the late William Cameron, announced that she was donating all 125acre of the land to the city of Waco. Mrs. Cameron revealed that she had purchased the land with Lawson as a liaison with the intention of donating it as a park in memory of her late husband. The gift came attached with a $5,000 gift for park development, as well as stipulations to preserve the name and funding for the park, and to prohibit commercial enterprise within its borders. The park was officially dedicated on May 27, 1910, with a large ceremony attended by nearly 15,000 people. Baylor University President Samuel Palmer Brooks served as the master of ceremonies for the dedication.