When Cameron Park opened a century ago, it was a hot spot for picnics and brass band concerts. To a later generation, it was the place to show off car stereos and chrome.

Today, crowds come for nature hikes, zoo animals, mountain-biking, disc golf and barbecues.

Though its use has changed in its 100 years, the 450-acre Cameron Park always has been viewed as the soul of Waco and its history reflects the city’s history.

Phil Davignon, 24, tees off while playing disc golf in Cameron Park.
Duane A. Laverty/Tribune-Herald

That’s the premise of “William Cameron Park: A Centennial History,” a book that is due for release in time for the facility’s official rededication May 27.

The book is a project of the city’s Cameron Park Centennial Committee.

Published by Baylor University Press, it will cost $34.95 and can be ordered by calling 800-537-5487.

The 212-page, coffee-table book combines lush photography with meticulous research by author Mark Firmin, a Waco native who earned a Baylor master’s degree in history.

Firmin began researching Cameron Park as part of a public history seminar in early 2008, then developed his research into his master’s thesis, which forms the basis of the book.

“Being from Waco, I knew that this was going to be a very large undertaking. But it was a project that meant a lot to me,” Firmin said. “I hope that it helps people engage in the history, not just of Cameron Park, but of Waco. I see Cameron Park as a microcosm of Waco.”

The book serves as a social and geographical history, relying heavily on oral history. It traces the use of the park, starting from its days as a campground for Confederate soldier reunions and Juneteenth celebrations. It then chronicles how the William Cameron family saved the scenic spot from the threat of development.

The book reveals how the park was a symbol of Waco’s civic aspirations in the early 20th century — a 1925 Chamber of Commerce publication referred to Waco as “a city in a park.” But it also discusses the more troublesome aspects of Cameron Park’s history, showing how it was a theater for racial tensions.

An undated courtesy photo shows a black youth sports team in Cameron Park. The park was segregated until the 1960s.

In its first half-century, the park was unofficially off-limits to black Wacoans. That began to change during the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s, Firmin writes.

He describes the acrid debate over the construction of the Herring Avenue bridge in the late 1960s, which linked the park to largely black East Waco. Firmin depicts the racial tensions that grew as blacks began to outnumber whites in the park.

The book tracks the decline of Cameron Park in the 1970s as “cruising” traffic choked its roads on weekends and fears of crime kept middle-class families of all races away.

Revitalization of area

It also shows how efforts such as the Cameron Park Zoo, the park ranger program and the Anniversary Park project began to turn around the park’s fortunes starting in the 1980s, making the area a centerpiece of the community again.

The city is now using $9 million of voter-approved bond money to revitalize the park.

Major celebrations are scheduled this year to mark of its centennial. A parade, symphony concert and fireworks display are planned for May 1. The official rededication is set for May 27.

Baylor history Professor Michael Parrish, who directed Firmin’s thesis, said the book is “pathbreaking and daring” in its deep exploration of Waco’s history. He commended the city of Waco for supporting it.

Joggers and walkers take advantage of the hike and bike trail Wedesday at Cameron Park.
Duane A. Laverty/Waco Tribune-Herald

“We made it clear from the beginning, in talking with the mayor and city manager and parks director, that we weren’t going to produce a sugar-coated history of Cameron Park,” Parrish said. “For them to not just nod and approve such an approach but to embrace it is a reflection of Waco’s maturity and self-confidence. We are at a point where we can face up to aspects of our past that are not all that attractive.

“While there’s plenty that is attractive and that we should be proud of, Waco has a complex and difficult history to understand.”

Wide scope

Kay Olson and Tom Charlton, co-chairs of the centennial committee, said the book was more ambitious than the picture book leaders originally envisioned. They said it will do a service to the public’s understanding of the park.

Charlton, director of the Texas Collection and a member of Firmin’s thesis committee, called the author a “super researcher.”

“This is a well-documented study, with a good bit of recent research,” he said. “I’m very impressed with him and his commitment to going way below the surface.”

jbsmith@wacotrib.com

757-5752