Madison Area History

Madison Park and Pleasure Drive Association

Local digital history is now available with the click of a button! Find annual reports of the officers of the Madison Park and Pleasure Drive Association from the years 1899-1905.

Find out more about the early years of Madison and the parks we appreciate today!

This digital collection of historic reports provides accessibility to early information about the City of Madison around the turn of the 20 th century. The Madison Park and Pleasure Drive Association Reports denote the moneys received and expended and work done by the Madison Park and Pleasure Drive Association in order to attract attention to the city’s natural beauty and surrounding lakes. The impetus behind the association was that by making Madison’s natural surroundings more accessible, visitors would get a better idea of the magnificence of the location, and advantages of Madison as a summer resort or place of permanent residence.

The Madison Park and Pleasure Drive Association Reports offer a glimpse into a time in local history when pleasure drives were first considered, and thought to be of skeptical benefit to the public. These same drives and walkways are now considered an integral part of Madison’s landscape.

Funding

Madison Park and Pleasure Drive Association Reports is a collaborative project completed by the UWDCC, the Madison Public Library, and the Wisconsin Historical Society.

Madison Park and Pleasure Drive Association Reports was funded through a 2007 Friends of the Madison Public Library grant. This grant provided financial support for Madison Public Library staff to provide new service opportunities to patrons through innovative projects.

See more local historical materials.