History on Foot | Heartwell Park Tour
May 11, 2022 @ 9:00 am - 11:00 pm
| Free will donationTWO NEW DATES: Wednesday, MAY 11, 9-11 a.m. and Friday, MAY 20, at 7-9 p.m.
Where: We will begin and end at the parking lot on the North side of Heartwell Park.
Who: All welcome!
Price: Freewill donation, No RSVP required
Description: Put on a pair of comfortable shoes and join the dynamic duo of Curtis and Russanne as they take you for a spin around Hastings’ Heartwell Park neighborhood. You’ll discover snippets about famous residents and historic homes and come away with fun factoids that are sure to impress your friends and family. If you want to see historic photos of the buildings we stop at, bring a wifi-capable mobile device, such as a smartphone. Tour guides will use microphones. Please know there is not a lot of seating along the tour, and currently there are no restrooms available at the park.
What’s the tour about? You’ll learn the history of Heartwell Park, the architecture of the houses surrounding the park, and some background of the people who lived in those homes.
A few specifics: The Uerling brothers lived on Forest Boulevard. They built brick homes next door to each other in a 5-year span. One brother got in some hot water, the other was a model citizen. You’ll have to come to the tour to learn more. You’ll also find out which of those two homes is still standing. We’ll discuss the WPA projects at the park, the ongoing struggle with pollution in the lake, and the fact that the first golf course in Hastings was on the south side of Heartwell Park. Here’s a few more names that will come up: Shermans, Kerr, Quick, and Gildner.
Something extra! We are pleased that Jennifer Brosz is volunteering her time to assist with this tour. Jenifer is a historic preservation and National Register specialist. Both her master’s and bachelor’s degrees are in historic preservation (Southeast Missouri State 2004, Ball State University 2006). She is a new resident of Hastings and married to our new curator of collections, Dan Brosz.