Eastwoods Neighborhood Park was one of four Texas parks dubbed a Lone Star Legacy Park by the Texas Recreation and Park Society in a ceremony in Galveston on Feb. 27. To qualify for the honor, a park must be at least 50 years old and meet certain historic, natural or cultural criteria that make the park iconic. Eastwoods has a storied history; before becoming a public park, the site was known as Wheeler’s Grove and was one of the earliest known sites in the city where African Americans celebrated Juneteenth, the commemoration of the date in 1865 when news of the Emancipation Proclamation reached Texas. For a decade starting in 1964, Eastwoods was the original home of Eeyore’s Birthday Party, a colorful annual festival named after the A.A. Milne character. Eastwoods joins four other Austin parks that have also received the Lone Star Legacy designation: Parque Zaragoza, Pease, Zilker and Rosewood.
State honors Eastwoods park
