Courthouse Park, Madera 1910

Courthouse Park, located next to the "Old Courthouse" on Yosemite Avenue, owes its existence to the energies of William King Heiskell. Originally hired as a night jailer and gardener at the Madera County Jail, Heiskell's job evolved into the first superintendent of Madera County's Courthouse Park.

On 26 February 1910, the Madera Mercury announced that the supervisor's had accepted plans for the construction of a park. The plans had been prepared by MacRorie and McLaren Compay of San Francisco. The estimate to build the park was $3011, with trees and shrubs costing $1061.50. The pipe system was to cost $900; the construction of walks and roads, $500; shipping and handling, $75; labor and guards, $450; and grass seed, $25. By March 12, the trees trees had arrived, and were being laid out according the approved plan, around several serpentine walks, a large lawn facing Yosemite Avenue, a fountain in the center of the grounds, and a band stand near the Sixth Street side of the park. The ground was first levelled, and trenches for water pipes dug. The contract for the pipe work was awarded to Hoffman & Stephenson (Madera Mercury 12 March 1910).

The park takes shape (circa 1910)

During the planting phase of the park, a drifter, by the name of J.R. Jensen, was arrested for drunkeness, and Judge Barcroft asked, "Do you know anything about landscape gardening?" Jensen replied, "No." The judge responded, "A man like you ought to know a little about everything" and ordered Jensen to work for ten days under the supervision of William Heiskell. "He's a good gardener, and you'll learn a lot", the judge declared (Madera Mercury 19 March 1910). He was not alone, however, three men were found sleeping in a boxcar, and arrested for vagrancy. Not having the $5 to pay the fine, they were ordered by the judge to join Heiskell's force of gardeners for five days. It is a historical irony that such men are today's chief beneficiaries of the Courthouse Park.

In planning the park, William King Heiskell collaborated with MacRorie and McLaren Company of San Francisco, the premier California landscape architects of their day. Of tne two partners, Daniel A. MacRorie and Donald McLaren, the latter was the son of the Scottish landscape gardener, John McLaren, who was famous for designing Golden Gate Park. The father and son team worked together on the Pacific Panama International Exhibition.

       
From: Architect & Engineer of California 1918 and Western Architect and Engineer 1912

We are fortunate that the correspondence from MacRorie and McLaren Company to William King Heiskell has been preserved, and available using the links below.

MacRorie & MacLaren Correspondence relating to Madera's Courthouse Park

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Heiskell attempted to stock the park with birds and chipmunks, and commissioned his seven-year old grandson, Jack Desmond, who was living near Fish Camp at the time, to catch some of these creatures. Young Jack was to send them to Madera on the stage. The following letters, addressed to "Crooks", Heiskell's nickname for Jack, discuss the matter.

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Remains of the park's fountain

While "Crooks" was about eight years old, he was helping his grandfather with the construction of the park's fountain. Wielding his toy hammer, he managed to break one of the structure's river pebbles. The broken pebble is still there, which served as a constant reminder to Jack throughout his life. He remembers his grandfather being good-natured about the accident.

Jack's broken river pebble

The park was hardly ten years old when it came under seige. In 1919, a plan was proposed to build a memorial hall to the veteran's of World War I in the middle of the site, but it failed to materialize. Another attempt to encroach upon the parkland was made in 1957, when Mayor Al Barsotti approached the Board of Supervisors with a scheme to build a new city hall there, but fierce protests from the public saved the day. Sadly, the general aesthetics of the park, the wide variety of trees lovingly planted and tended by William Heiskell, and the integrity of the park's original design by MacRorie and McLaren, were seriously compromised by the construction of a dreary cement-block jail annex and its accompanying parking lot. More recent accretions have further eaten into the greensward.

Jail Annex built 1983

Aerial view of the park
Old Courthouse on the left and the jail annex and car park to its right

Heiskell's horse hitches were featured in a Madera Tribune article by Bill Coates.

The park also included a small zoo, which the following plaque commemorates.

The above refers to Polly, the parrot, spending his remaining years with Mr. Heiskell's daughter. This was Lucile, who was living at 123 North J Street, Madera. The parrot met its demise while standing on the next door neighbor's driveway. The parrot, now quite old, was killed when the neighbor reversed his car over it. The parrot was stuffed, and was mounted on the wall of above Lucile's desk, before it made its way to the museum.