Parks & Recreation

The City of Boonville is situated on the bluffs overlooking the Missouri River approximately 103 miles east of Kansas City and 150 miles west of St. Louis. The City was founded in 1811 with the establishment of Hannah Cole’s Fort. The City was incorporated with the State of Missouri in 1839. Boonville is named for Daniel Boone who ironically never set foot south of the River in this area.

Boonville currently has 12 Parks ranging in size from 70 acres to .25 acres. The Parks and Recreation Department is also responsible for two cemeteries and the majority of all City buildings and grounds. Below is a brief description of each Park.

Harley Park

Located on the bluffs overlooking the Missouri River, Harley Park is the oldest Park in the system. It was donated to the City by the Harley family in 1887. Harley Park contains 31 acres and includes six picnic shelters, two baseball fields, three playgrounds, four pre-historic Indian Mounds, two restrooms, a scenic overlook of the River and open space. The original site of Franklin, MO and the original starting point of the Santa Fe Trail can be seen from the overlook. The Park is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Big Sky Park

Contains five acres and sets adjacent to Harley Park. Big Sky Park has no amenities.

Rolling Hills Park

Located on Ashley Road, is the largest Park in the system containing 70 acres. It is still under development. There is currently one softball field and one large picnic shelter and two small single shelters, playground and concession building. There is a ¼ mile nature trail with plans for additional trails. There also future plans for an additional playground and restrooms. There is a one-mile loop drive, which is used extensively by residents for exercise. Deer and turkey are abundant in the Park.

Lion’s Memorial Park

Contains 10 acres on the east side of town on Mueller Street. It contains two picnic shelters, two tennis courts, outdoor basketball court, playground, skatepark, softball field, restrooms, and a 25-meter swimming pool. The swimming pool was opened in 1979 and has undergone extensive repairs.

Frederick T. Kemper Park

The newest Park in the system contains at present 46 acres and 10 buildings on what was formerly the Kemper Military School. Current plans are for the City to retain ownership of 30 acres open space and Johnston Field House. The remainder of the core campus is being marketed by the Industrial Development Authority. Johnston Field House is currently home to the Boonslick Heartland YMCA and contains a cardio theater, weight room, aerobics room, 25-yard indoor pool, indoor batting cage, office space and 3 basketball courts. The Park also contains a regulation football field, soccer fields, lake and two baseball fields. There are five tennis courts that will require extensive rehab. Additional development will be deferred until a Master Plan is conducted to determine the best use of the space.

Veteran's Memorial Park

Located at Tenth and Morgan Streets, contains 5 acres. The Park contains a picnic shelter and playground. It remains largely undeveloped because it is in a flood plain

Lakes

The Department manages two fishing lakes that contain approximately 4 acres. The lakes are on the southern side of town directly behind the Boone Village Shopping Center. They are open to the public year-round. The larger lake contains catfish, bass, perch, bluegill and crappie. The Department, Kiwanis Club and MO Dept of Conservation sponsor a Kids Fishing Day annually.

Bell’s View Park

Was donated to the City in 1912 by Charles Bell. It contains .25 acres and is located on High Street overlooking the Missouri River. It has two benches and an observation area. It is ideal for watching the river and relaxing.

Johnston’s Park

Located on Seventh Street, is directly across the street for SS Peter and Paul Catholic School. The Park is undeveloped and serves as open space for the neighborhood children and doubles as an extension of the school playground. It contains approximately .5 acres.

Riverfront Park

Was developed in the 1990’s to clean up a blighted area on the Riverfront. Located on Water Street, it contains .75 acres and has a playground and picnic shelter.

Cobblestone Street Park

Was developed as a collaboration between the Friends of Historic Boonville and MO Dept of Transportation during the construction of the new Missouri River Bridge in the late 1990’s. The Park is a historical preservation project that features a restored section of the original cobblestone street built in the 1820’s. The street extended from the original river wharfs to Main Street. The Park also highlights the history of the old Missouri River Bridge that was built in 1923-24. The Park is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Morgan Street Park

Located at the intersection of Main and Morgan Streets downtown, the Park is the site of the former Holt’s Cafe building that was destroyed by fire in the late 1980’s. The property was purchased by the City and the original plans called for it to be converted to public parking. The City Council was convinced to turn the property into a downtown Park as a green space. It has been developed into a memorial space that contains a statue of Hannah Cole as the main focal point, with space for busts of six prominent persons in Boonville’s history. A bust of Walter Williams, founder of the University of Missouri School of Journalism, was dedicated in September 2003. A bust of artist George Caleb Bingham was dedicated on June 25, 2005. A bust of noted African-American educator J. Milton Turner was dedicated on August 6, 2005. A bust of Educator and founder of Kemper Military School, Frederick T. Kemper will be dedicated on June 24, 2006. A bust in honor of Senator David Barton is scheduled for June 2007, with the final bust yet to be determined.

Sunset Hills Cemetery

This is the oldest Cemetery in Boonville dating back to before 1840. It contains 11 acres and is the final resting place for many of the early pioneers who were responsible for the early development of Boonville. Originally platted as the “Methodist Cemetery”, ownership transferred to the City of Boonville in 1844.

Boonville Memorial Gardens Cemetery

Established in 1985, it is the newest Cemetery. Memorial Gardens is comprised of approximately 10 acres.