Located at the intersection of Junction City’s two main streets, Heritage Park celebrates the heritage of the city as well as Kansas as a whole. Featuring numerous monuments as well as a spot for community events to take place, Heritage Park has become a place to gather for remembrance of those who have fought and sacrificed in wars as well as a reminder of what it can mean for a park to become so much more than a public green space for an entire community.
The Heritage of Kansas
The Grand Army of the Republic Memorial Arch is the most prominent feature of Heritage Park. It. This Civil War Arch was erected in 1898 and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2017 but it’s just one of the many monuments the park contains that signifies the heritage of Kansas.
Heritage Park also features the State of Kansas Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the 1st Infantry Division Memorial, the Junction City / Geary County Law Enforcement Memorial, the POW/MIA Memorial, the Purple Heart Memorial and the Bandstand and Water Fountain. The names, deeds and sacrifices of countless individuals are remembered in multiple ways across the entire park.
These monuments have come to pull the community together for events like the Memorial Day Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wreath-Laying Ceremony. The park also serves as the site for many other more festive community events, which includes the largest free multi-day July 4th celebration in Kansas. Many of these events are focused around the Bandstand and Water Fountain that was directly sponsored by the community. Various levels of sponsorships have helped to keep Heritage Park an essential element of Junction City.
Like other parks that honor individuals and endeavors for the benefit of something greater, Heritage Park embraces the past to create an impact in the present. In doing so, it illustrates what it can mean for a park to embody a legacy to help serve as an attraction for a community and an entire region.
The Legacy of a Historic Kansas Place
Since Junction City is home to other notable monuments while other cities have been able to turn their parks into something much more than a place to enjoy greenery in an urban environment, Heritage Park is distinct but not wholly unique. However, the space is different on account of how it has been able to form a connection to the legacy of Kansas in such a profound way. Doing so has also allowed Heritage Park to create a space for the community in the present to engage with and build upon that legacy.
