W.C. Johnson Park
It started out as a large field full of plants and wildlife, then man came along. They carved away the trees to make room for houses. They made a space to make a large hole in the ground for dirt to level out the housing foundations. When the houses were finished man still had some open space left, 271.19 acres to be exact, and a large hole in the ground(W.C. Johnson). The hole was big enough to consume three or four houses. Over time the hole was filled with rain water, fish were inserted for the recreational use of the neighborhood, beginning the creation of W.C. Johnson Park — Johnson Park for short. Johnson Park sits in the heart of Collierville, Tennessee. A suburb only 45 minutes east of Memphis.
It started out as a small place with a pond and a field of grass next to it. There are two ways to get into the park. One way is to cut through a neighborhood, the other is to turn in from the main road. When I turned in from the main road there used to be an empty field to my left and then there’s a neighborhood to my right. If I kept going down that same road, I would come to see a couple baseball fields to the left and a small playground to my right. The surface of the playground was made of sand. There was a couple of spring animals, the ones you sit on and just rock back and forth or side to side. Then there was the actual play set. It had steps to get up to the top of the slides and reach the monkey bars. Then it had a couple swings to the side, separate from the other structure.
After I passed the playground, there was a large pond to the left of me with an asphalt pathway around it. Part of the pond distributed to the Wolf River so there was a bridge over that section.
On the other side of the road there were two soccer fields. They were worn down by all the people who played soccer, football, frisbee, etc.. The soccer goals were made of steel and they were old and rusty; they were very heavy. Continuing down the road there was a bridge that went over the pond. Not the same bridge the pathway had, even though the path goes over it. The pond turns to the right cutting off the area where the soccer fields are creating a separate, yet, same pond for the park.
After I went over the bridge there was another soccer pitch to the right, and to the left there’s a pathway leading into the woods. The pathway was made of wood, when I walked on it the wood made creaking sounds, like an old door with rusty hinges. About a quarter mile up the path there was a red bridge made of metal. Underneath the bridge was a small creek filled with all sorts of fish and some tadpoles. Wildlife was everywhere, lily pads were on top of the water, tall grass was growing in between the cracks of the wooden path. Trees created cooling shade for the walkway and a home for all the birds and insects. Most people would think a swamp is dirty and disgusting, but I thought it was beautiful and full of life.
When I continued up the wooden pathway I saw more diverse and beautiful wildlife; frogs, turtles, birds, butterflies, snakes and spiders, dragonflies even if they were scary or nasty to some people I liked them all. The more colorful the better. To this day I still keep a collection of beautiful dead insects, weird, I know. The pathway came to an end under a gazebo also made of wood. The gazebo had a spectacular sight of the whole park, the same creek that I walked over was right in front. It had seemingly floating logs with turtles on them chilling in the sun. I could see the people playing on the soccer fields, the kids on the playground, the father’s teaching their kids how to fish in the pond, such a stunning view.
In the past fifteen years I’ve spent at the park, lots of things have changed; some good others bad. When I come down that main road there are more baseball fields where the empty space was. The neighborhood is still there, designated for deaf people that live in Collierville. The other small baseball fields are still there, they now have fancy lights for them. The old playground is still there, but a new one had been built next to it. The new playground is so much bigger and better than the old one. It has rubber for the floor, lots of swings, a faux fire truck, a structure where kids can run around and play tag or hide and seek, a place where kids could play basketball. It even has an area for adults to sit in the shade and watch their kids.
Across the road between the baseball fields and large pond a water park was built. This became a wonderful thing during the summer as it gets really hot, but recently the town of Collierville put a fence around it only letting Collierville residents use it for free everyone else had to pay. I am a resident of Collierville, so it’s not an issue for me, but that doesn’t seem fair. The soccer fields got an upgrade too. Between them now is a large set of bleachers for parents to watch their kids. The fields were ripped up and flattened to create two artificial grass fields.
The soccer goals were replaced with light, hollow aluminum so they are much easier to move. The soccer fields there are my favorite now, so smooth and fast. The only bad thing is how hot the plastic gets in the heat of the summer. The wooden pathway through the woods is still there, but there’s no need for the bridge anymore the creek has run dry for the most part. The overgrown plants are still there, but they aren’t pretty; there’s no flowers or lily pads just green stuff. All the wildlife is mostly gone, the butterflies are gone, but the frogs and insects are still here. The wooden pathway has been extended all the way to the Wolf River, which I like a lot. The sound of the river is so relaxing. When I go back to the now old gazebo it has moss of the wood and looks as aged as it is. The creek that was out front is now just another pond there’s a lot of garbage. The turtles still sunbathe on the logs, but I can no longer see through the woods to look at the park; it’s all overgrown.
I used to love Johnson Park for all it provided, but now I only love it for the one thing, the soccer fields. I miss the scenery the park provided. It’s still nice to go on a three mile jog on the wood trail, the overgrown nature still provides plenty of shade. It’s just not as exciting and pretty as it used to be.
Sources
“W.C. Johnson Park.” — Collierville Parks, Recreation, & Cultural Arts. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Oct. 2015. http://colliervilleparks.org/parks/facilities-and-rental-information/wc-johnson-park
