On March 19, 2024, Hillcrest Park turned a century old. On Saturday, March 23, the City of Mount Vernon is throwing a birthday bash in its honor, courtesy of the city’s Parks & Enrichment Services Department. At a 12pm – 3pm event that is free to the public, festivities will include “a Petting Zoo, live turning of Wood Tops by the Woodturners Association, games and crafts of the last century, and a Time Capsule Ceremony with celebratory cake and refreshments.” I can’t wait to see what that cake looks like!
About a month ago I was contacted by Lori Finta from TV10/TV 26, who was working on a documentary project about Hillcrest Park. There was nothing much I could add to her research, but in my capacity as host and producer of Tales of the Magic Skagit what I told Lori I could do was to share the information about the park that she had gathered and see if our esteemed Meyer Sign audience might be able to add to it.

Here’s what Lori sent me as a historic timeline for Hillcrest Park, divided into decades — and yes, there have now been 10 of them! As you will note, many of the timeline events quote unspecified sources, so it will be interesting to see if Lori is able to provide further identification regarding their origin.

The 1920s

March 19, 1924

The Mount Vernon City Council passes Ordinance #638 to purchase 29 acres for $6,000 to establish the city’s Park System, and a Park Board was established.

June 29, 1924

“Hillcrest Park is now the official designation of the city’s new playground. This name was selected by the park commission and has been approved by the city council.”

August 30, 1924

“The park has been supplied recently with two tables, one donated by the M.W.A. (?) and the other by the Royal Neighbor lodge. A roof is now being erected over the tables. Camp stoves donated by the Franklin Iron works will be set up this week. The public is invited to bring their baskets and enjoy picnic dinner in the park. 150 visitors were registered at the park last Sunday.” (The Bellingham Herald – August 30, 1924)

April 25, 1929

“The city of Mount Vernon now boasts a park of its own, Hillcrest Park, ideally located in a grove of virgin timber that covers a thirty-acre tract. The land was purchased five years ago from J. C. McGinnitie at a cost of $6,000… with the final payment of $1,200 made just a few days ago, interest in the park has been revived…This week the water company offered to build a water main for a distance of 150 feet if the city will build the remaining 500 feet necessary to reach the park. With only a small expenditure, the park may be one of the finest and most picturesque in the Northwest.”

June 1929

The Park Commissioners were authorized to spend $600 on the newly acquired Hillcrest Park. The nature of the planned improvements is not specified, but the Park Board reported to the Council that it had been carried out.

The 1930s

During the 1930’s work relief programs and the WPA (Work Progress Administration) made it possible to carry out some projects which might otherwise have had to wait for years for strictly local financing. As early as 1933 the Skagit Garden Club was cooperating with the Park Board in planting at Hillcrest Park, getting suitable plants and shrubs as donations from members and contributing time and labor. As their interest continued, they received advice from the University of Washington Arboretum in Seattle.

March 19, 1931

“The park board has decided to build another tennis court at Hillcrest Park and a call for bids will be received up until March 31. Fredrick Ornes, president of the park board, stated there was a popular demand for another tennis court, and as materials were now low priced it seemed wise to add another court at this time. It will give Mount Vernon five tennis courts.” (The Bellingham Herald)

July 21, 1932

“Opening of the horseshoe pitching enthusiasts’ new grounds on Hillcrest park will be held today. A large area of ground adjacent to the tennis courts at the park has been cleared and a permanent 120 court ground is being laid out. It will be ready for use in about two weeks.”

August 1, 1934

“More than ninety women were seated at tables in the Hillcrest park yesterday noon when the various county groups of W.C.T.U. met for their annual picnic.”

1937

A project proposal for the construction of a “Recreation Building” in Hillcrest Park was brought to the Council. The building was to cost $7,667.03, of which the Federal Government would pay $5,639 and the City $2,028.03. The Council approved the project unanimously, and the present Hillcrest Lodge was built in 1937-1938. A caretaker was hired by the City on the recommendation of the Park Board to look after the grounds during the time the Hillcrest Lodge was built.

June 9, 1938

“Work on the new WPA project at Hillcrest park in this city is expected to be completed within the next few weeks. 26 men have been working at intervals on the project for some time… At the north entrance for the park will be built a cobblestone wall for a distance of 600 feet, extending to a point south of the rustic building.”

The 1940s

Peacocks live at the park and are a part of the extremely popular petting zoo. The park at this point had grown to a couple of picnic shelters, a wading pool, a swing set, and two teeter – totters.

1941/1942

Hillcrest Lodge was set up as an emergency hospital with 28 iron beds and mattresses which were bought, and bedding and other supplies were loaned by citizens. There is no record that it was ever actually used as an emergency hospital.

August 1944

City Council voted to return the borrowed items and put the other things in storage and return the lodge to the community for use. There were numerous applications for the use of the lodge by community groups.

1945

The park adds its first slide and monkey bars to the playground equipment.

1949

The Civic Club provided a heating plant for the lodge and since then it has been in year-round use by the community.

The 1950s

1956

It was proposed that three acres of the park be used for locating an Armory and for Hillcrest Lodge to be reserved every Tuesday evening for a meeting of the Marine Corps Reserve. There was vigorous citizen objection to the Armory and Council denied the request. The Marine Corps was allowed to reserve the Lodge for Tuesday evening meetings.

Following the “battle of the Armory,” the women of the Civic Club requested that city parks be zoned for recreational use only in order to prevent a repetition of the incident. The request was referred to the Planning Commission and City Attorney, but nothing was done about it – possibly because no such zoning classification existed.

The 1960s

January 1964

An Army Reserve Training Center was proposed for two and a half to three acres of Hillcrest Park. The Park Board favored the request, but after a lively public hearing on February 5 the Council at its February 12 meeting voted it down because of parking problems.

The 1980s

1985

Mount Vernon Parks and Recreation Department is founded.

1986

The first Annual Children’s Art Festival takes place.

July 1986

City Engineering Team finalizes the southern soccer field at Hillcrest park on 13 and Blackburn

1987

“Volunteers Bruce Monroe & Ralph Rothrock work Tuesday on a community barbecue at Hillcrest Park in Mount Vernon. The barbecue, combined with a patio slab laid in the fall gives the community another barbecue area… Concrete Nor’West donated all the concrete for the patio and provided other materials at a reduced price.” (Skagit Valley Herald)

The 1990s

December 13, 1995
“Thanks to a cooperative effort between the Kiwanis Club of Mount Vernon, the Mount Vernon Parks Foundation, the city, and a mysterious donor, a modern playground has emerged in the shadows of the towering fir trees at the city’s oldest park.”
“The new equipment is the first handicapped accessible playground in the area. Kiwanis Club contributed nearly $5,000 dollars, Parks Foundation $2,000, and the city $10,500. But the largest contributor has been an anonymous person who has provided $15,000 to the playground. ‘Wow. We don’t know who it is but we couldn’t have done it without him or her,’ parks director Pat Howard said.”

1996

The first annual Haunted Hillcrest event takes place.

The 21st Century

May 3, 2003
The Kiwanis Club of Skagit Mount Vernon, Mount Vernon, South Mount Vernon, and the Mount Vernon Parks and Recreation build and install brand new toddler playground equipment.

April 28, 2004
“Randy Leonard , one of the cooks at Mount Vernon Kiwanis BBQ at Hillcrest Park shows off a rack of barbecued salmon. A total of 12,255 meals were served at this spring’s barbecue.”

January 2013

The Parks Department gets approval to fully remodel the lodge kitchen to complete and commercial grade.

2018

The lodge garden wall is replaced.

2020

After lots of tests and feedback from town residents, the southern tennis courts are officially turned into pickleball courts and new concrete is poured for walkways and perimeter around the courts.

2023

New heaters, windows, and doors are installed at the lodge. Irrigation pipes are installed in the southern soccer field to create a new high-quality playfield.

2024
The Hillcrest Gazebo roof is updated and repaired. A new soccer/playfield is completed and open for use at Hillcrest Park.

Are there other dates/events in the history of Hillcrest Park that you can add? Do you have more details or personal recollections relating to the above timeline that you’d like to share? Drop me a line at mountvernonboss@icloud.com and let me know.

Click here for a previous Tales of the Magic Skagit homage to Hillcrest Park from several years ago.