Hobart Park

According to a 1960 Davidsonian article, from 1925-1960 Mr. Don Hobart “served Davidson as the college supervisor of buildings and grounds, in a labor of love which made Davidson’s campus a showplace the year ’round. When he came to the campus in 1925, Davidson was a place of muddy roads, sparse and unkempt grass and few flowers. Mr. Hobart changed that. He created the dogwood grove behind the Martin Science Building, and the shrubbery all across the campus; he made a garden of Davidson’s eighty acres.” In short, Hobart was a man dedicated to his work–dedicated to the beautification of Davidson.

Hobart Park

Entrance to Hobart Park

Hobart passed on tragically in 1960, and but the campus remembers Hobart still, as one month after his death a landscaped picnic area on campus was dedicated as “Hobart Park” in his honor. According to the Davidsonian, “Hobart Park lies between Jackson Court and the football stadium. It contains shrubs and flowers Mr. Hobart planted and picnic tables and an oven provided by the college.” At the dedication of Hobart Park, President D. Grier Martin proclaimed it “symbolic of Mr. Hobart’s work over the entire Davidson campus.”

Works Cited:

“The Campus: Monument to Hobart.” Davidsonian. 21 October 1960: 2. RG 10/2.22. Libertas: Hobart Park-Correspondence and Clippings. Davidson College Archives, Davidson, NC.

“Davidson Names Park for Developer.” The Charlotte News. 19 November 1960: 4-B. RG 10/2.22. Libertas: Hobart Park-Correspondence and Clippings. Davidson College Archives, Davidson, NC.

Author: Jim Harris
Date: 3 March 2012

Cite as: Harris, Jim. “Hobart Park.” Davidson Encyclopedia, 1 March 2012. https://digitalprojects.davidson.edu/omeka/s/encyclopedia/page/hobart-park