"For the pleasure of the people" : a centennial history of William Cameron Park, Waco, Texas.

In this thesis I seek to trace the one hundred year history of William Cameron Park, Waco, Texas. The history of the park will be placed within the larger context of Waco and the United States. Special attention will be paid to how Cameron Park was shaped by events such as the "City Beautiful" movement, the Great Depression, and the Civil Rights Era as well as how Cameron Park shaped the lives of Wacoans during these periods of time. The initial development of the park, 1910-1930, the decline of the park in the 1970s and 1980s, and revitalization efforts from 1985 to the present, constitute the critical time periods in Cameron Park's history. To piece together the relatively undocumented history of the park it was imperative to rely heavily on newspapers and oral and history interviews.