On this day in 1913, Ritter Park opened in Huntington. The site was originally earmarked for a trash incinerator, but residents convinced the mayor to make it Huntington’s first public park instead. The city property was augmented by land donated by Charles Ritter, and is now on the National Register of Historic Places. It was also one of the “top ten” public spaces in America in 2012. The Land and Water Conservation Fund has given $625,000 to Ritter Park for upkeep of playgrounds, tennis courts, and the famous rose garden. If Congress doesn’t renew LWCF by September 30, any future support could go up in smoke!

Take action for Ritter Park and LWCF here.

Visit Ritter Park.

Learn more about the Land and Water Conservation Fund.