HistoricSiteMarkers
Progressive & Modern Era

J. W. Park Home

Itasca, Hill County, Texas

Marker Inscription

John Wilkes Park (1869-1921) and his wife, Willie Clinkscales Park (1869-1935), built this classical revival style home about 1908. Its massive Corinthian columns and other milled details reflect a popular turn-of-the century embrace of classicism. A Mississippi native, Park served as mayor of Itasca from 1916 to 1920. After John's death, Willie Park rented parts of the house. The home remained in the Park family until 1945. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1986

Erected by Texas Historical Commission

The Story

John Wilkes Park and his wife, Willie Clinkscales Park, built this Classical Revival home around 1908, its massive Corinthian columns and milled details reflecting the era's fashionable embrace of classicism. A Mississippi native, Park served as mayor of Itasca from 1916 to 1920; after his death, Willie rented out parts of the house, which stayed in the family until 1945.

Why it matters

The Parks' grand columned house embodies the prosperity and classical taste of small-town Texas at the turn of the twentieth century, and the civic standing of the families who led those communities.

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Related people

  • · John Wilkes Park
  • · Willie Clinkscales Park

Themes & tags

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