Thompson Park (Watertown, New York)

This article is about the park in Watertown, New York. For other parks named Thompson Park, see Thompson Park (disambiguation).

Thompson Park
John C. Thompson Park
Type	Park
Location	Watertown, New York
Elevation	~725 ft (220m)
Created	1899
Designer	John C. Olmsted
Owned by	United States Government
Website	www.zoonewyork.org
(Zoo's Website)

Thompson Park is an urban park designed by John Charles Olmsted (The nephew and adopted son of Frederick Law Olmsted, who designed Central Park) located in Watertown, New York. It was donated to the city by industrialist John C. Thompson in 1916.^[1]

The park features a zoo and a 18-hole golf club^[2][3] as well as a monument to soldiers of the 10th Mountain Division. The monument was designed, built and unveiled on July 1, 2016, by the North Country community.^[4][5][6]

History

Thompson Park was donated to Watertown, New York in 1916. A playground began construction in November 2016^[7] which was completed on May 23, 2017, with the ribbon cutting ceremony being held on June 5, 2017.^[8] The park & Zoo was closed down due to COVID-19 on March 19, 2020,^[9] and was reopened again on June 27, 2020.^[10]

Zoo

The park is the location of "Zoo New York", a zoo located North-West of the Parks entrance. It was founded in 1920,^[11] and contains animals mostly native to Northern New York, with a Roosevelt Elk, a Bobcat, a Golden Eagle, a Canada Lynx, a Mountain Lion, a Snowy Owl, a Bald Eagle, Black Bears, Otters, etc.^[12] The Zoo also features a playground, which was unveiled on October 3, 2019.^[13]

Outside view of the Visitor Center

References

1. "City of Watertown, New York - Watertown History". www.watertown-ny.gov. Archived from the original on February 19, 2022. Retrieved December 6, 2021.
2. "Thompson Park". www.iloveny.com. Archived from the original on November 25, 2021. Retrieved November 24, 2021.
3. "Watertown Golf Club Inc". www.watertowngolfclubinc.com. Archived from the original on November 9, 2021. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
4. "Watertown, NY - Official Website - Historic Thompson Park". www.watertown-ny.gov. Archived from the original on July 3, 2021. Retrieved June 1, 2018.
5. "About the North Country Honors The Mountain Monument - Honor The Mountain". Honor The Mountain. Archived from the original on November 9, 2021. Retrieved June 1, 2018.
6. "Butterfly House to open for the season at Thompson Park Zoo | Newzjunky". www.newzjunky.com. Archived from the original on November 9, 2021. Retrieved June 4, 2018. Alt URL
7. "Kids, Parents Say Goodbye to Thompson Park Playground". spectrumlocalnews.com. Archived from the original on November 9, 2021. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
8. "New Thompson Park Playground Complete, Awaits Inspection". spectrumlocalnews.com. Archived from the original on November 9, 2021. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
9. "Watertown city playgrounds, skate park closed to public". wwnytv.com. Archived from the original on January 23, 2021. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
10. "Thompson Park Zoo opens, some restrictions in place". wwnytv.com. Archived from the original on December 14, 2020.
11. "Our History". Zoo New York. April 23, 2017. Archived from the original on November 23, 2021. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
12. "Zoo New York Official Website". Archived from the original on November 10, 2021.
13. "Thompson Park Zoo unveils new playground". wwnytv.com. Archived from the original on October 4, 2019. Retrieved November 9, 2021.

External links

• Thompson Park Zoo

43°57′48.5″N 75°53′16.6″W