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By Ian Hand Ashland Daily Tidings October 06. 2014 7:06PM What's your favorite part of Lithia Park? Members of the Ashland Parks and Recreation Department pose for a photo during a ceremony to honor Lithia Park on Wednesday. Daily Tidings / Jamie Lusch Beginnings Ashland was founded in the 1800s as a water-powered saw mill and flour mill on the banks of Ashland Creek. The mill stood at what is now the entrance to Lithia Park. As the town grew, faster than any other south of Portland, the Chautauqua Association purchased eight acres of land to bring entertainment and culture to Southern Oregon in the early 1900s. This land became Lithia Park. The group built a domed building for their shows. Oregon Shakespeare Festival came to Lithia with a three-day summer festival under original director Angus Bowmer in 1935. Visitors came for miles for the attractions and camping that was offered in the park.  Lithia Today Lithia Park now sits on 93 acres right off the hub of downtown Ashland. The city hired John McLaren, who designed Golden Gate Park, to prepare and develop a landscape plan. The plan included ponds, gazebos, gardens and groves of native trees, much of which can still be seen in the park today. The park was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. Each year, OSF is attended by upwards of 400,000 people. The walls of the original Chautauqua Association building are still used for OSF's Allen Elizabethan Theater.  Lasting legacy Last week Lithia Park was named one of the 10 Great Public Spaces in America for 2014 by the American Planning Association. The annual award, a category of the APA’s Great Places in America program, is given to public spaces that add value to communities as well as foster economic growth and jobs. “Recognizing these special places highlights the role planning plays in adding value to communities,” said William Anderson, president of APA, in a press release. “The blending of nature with the built environment is what makes the park special,” said Parks and Recreation Director Michael Black at an award ceremony Wednesday. "Once people get past those first couple of trees, you truly feel like you're in nature."  "Lithia Park is a gift," Mayor John Stromberg said at Wednesday's ceremony. "We need to think forward to the people who are coming to this place and will be affected by it." What's your favorite part of Lithia Park? "My favorite aspect is how connected it is to the trail system in the watershed. The park also has lots of little things too, like how there's always music playing a lots of sitting areas, between benches and flat lawn." — Samantha Nixon, asked Friday near the lower duck pond "The Japanese garden is fantastic. It's absolutely beautiful. We volunteer there and love spending hours caring for such a beautiful place. We hike all the time too. It's really a beautiful place." — Alison and Richard Date, asked Friday near the lower duck pond "It's the greatest park in the world! It's miles long and along the greatest creek; it's Ashlandia! We've got black bears, swimming holes for the kids and the fairy ponds, which are amazing, especially when candle lit at night. The forest has a natural amphitheatre and the musicians have the greatest view there. I've been in the park thousands of times and I can always find a new path or something interesting I haven't seen before. It's really a special place." — Orion, asked Friday in Bill Patton Garden "I love the park. All of it. It's a great place to walk around, have lunch, chat with friends and for kids to play. It's a friendly place, especially for younger people traveling through town. I would like to see a little more accessibility for all people, however." — Yehoshah Ourshalimian, asked Friday near the lower duck ponds "I think it's very peaceful, but energetic at the same time. I think it's the nicest park in the whole valley. It's so well-maintained and people are so nice. I feel very safe here. It also has well-maintained gardens." — Brian C., asked Friday near the Lithia Park main entrance http://www.dailytidings.com/article/20141006/NEWS/141009912 © 2015 Copyright © 1995-2011 Crain Communications Inc. All Rights Reserved. Terms of Use Privacy Statement -->