PARK AND CEMETERY. 
43 
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EMTASSOM 
ONS 
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The Woodlawn Improvement Asso- 
ciation of Chicago, an organization of 
the residents of Woodlawn, near Jack- 
son Park, is the oldest local improve- 
ment association in the city, and has 
been so successful in performing a wide 
variety of useful duties that Woodlawn 
has become one of the cleanest and 
most desirable residence districts in the 
city. Its clean streets, free from snow 
in winter and dust in summer; its many 
handsome, well cared for shade trees ; 
its vacant lots that are not dumps, are 
due in large measure to the activities 
of this organization. Property values 
have advanced, and many new residents 
have been drawn to that locality. Even 
the new arrivals have been able to 
watch the neighborhood grow more 
beautiful than they found it. The as- 
sociation is well organized in commit- 
tees on arboriculture ; buildings and 
railroads ; local assessments and taxes ; 
local improvements ; police, fire and 
water ; public schools ; streets and al- 
leys ; and a special committee on smoke 
abatement. It has an expert superin- 
tendent, Joseph F. Faulkner, and main- 
tains an office on the principal business 
street in the district. The territory 
covered, about seven by ten city blocks, 
is divided into seven districts and each 
of them administered separately. The 
expenditures for the nine months, from 
April 1 to December 1, 1906, amounted 
to $10,969, which was raised by sub- 
scriptions of members. No specified 
amount is assessed, but the association 
has figured that a just rate of payment 
for residence property is at the rate of 
six cents per front foot a year for va- 
cant property and 34 cents for im- 
proved property. For business houses 
the rate is higher. Edward G. Carter, 
superintendent of Oakwoods Cemetery, 
is president of the association, and to 
his experience, energy and executive 
ability and the thorough co-operation 
of the other officers are due the suc- 
cessful work and growth of the asso- 
ciation. Mr. Carter is well known to 
readers of Park and Cemetery as ex- 
president of the Association of Ameri- 
can Cemetery Superintendents, and 
president of the Illinois Association of 
Cemeteries, and Re is also a graduate 
of the Chicago College of Law. His 
experience in the practical management 
and improvement of large grounds, and 
his rare good judgment in business af- 
fairs make him a particularly valuable 
leader for such an association, and he 
has given it faithful service. In speak- 
ing of the association’s work in his an- 
nual report, Mr. Carter says ; 
“Aside from the immediate conven- 
ience and comfort produced by the as- 
sociation’s efforts, its educational influ- 
ence should not be overlooked. Con- 
ditions which obtained in our surround- 
ings a few years* ago would not now 
be tolerated in this or other localities 
where improvement association work 
is in operation, because the demonstra- 
tion of better possibilities has created 
a demand for better things and result- 
ed generally in greater interest in the 
welfare of the entire community, as 
well as securing improved service from 
the several municipal departments.” 
It has made a remarkable improve- 
ment in the district in the last few 
years, and expects to see a large in- 
crease this year in both membership 
and funds. The other officers of the 
association are : Vice-presidents, John 
P. McGoorty and E. A. Buzzell ; secre- 
tary, John Morey; treasurer, J. N. 
Kimball. 
* * * 
Santa Rosa, Cal., very appropriately 
known as the “City of Roses,” is con- 
ceded to be one of the most beautiful 
towns on the Pacific Coast, and the la- 
dies of the Santa 'Rosa Improvement 
Club are preparing to still further 
beautify it. They have just completed 
arrangements for a general seed and 
plant distribution to be made in the 
rooms of the Chamber of Commerce. 
Many thousands of packages of seeds 
and plants are to be distributed among 
the ladies. Among the plants to be 
distributed will be a large number of 
choice specimems from the experiment- 
al station of Luther Burbank, the hor- 
ticultural “wizard,” who has kindly do- 
nated a great many species that have 
not yet been placed on the market, and 
which he is still engaged in perfecting. 
One of these is a yellow amaryllis. Mrs. 
James H. Gray is chairman of the com- 
mittee on seed and plant distribution, 
and she will be assisted by Mrs. M. Mc- 
Connell Swain, and Mrs. Chas. O. Don- 
nell. The members of the Woman’s 
Improvement Club have other import- 
ant projects under consideration, among 
them. being that of providing a larger 
and more suitable public park for Santa 
Rosa. 
The Woman’s Club of Orange. N. J., 
has been instrumental in securing for 
that town a fine playground and con- 
templates adding a piece of land to the 
grounds for a baseball diamond this 
year. At a recent meeting of the club 
Mrs. Frederick W. Kelsey made a de- 
tailed report of the work. The land, 
about one acre in extent, was donated 
by Mr. John D. Everitt for five years. 
A sand garden, swings, see-saws and 
other equipment for the amusement of 
the children was provided and a fine 
fountain erected. Mr. H. A. Caparn, 
the New York landscape architect, do- 
nated the plans and the city undertook 
the grading and the cleaning of the 
grounds. A care taker was provided 
during the summer and a kindergarten- 
er employed. The ladies hope to add 
some children’s gardens, a wading pool 
and some additional equipment for 
play, and do more planting this season. 
The total amount contributed for the 
support of the playground was $1,590. 
sN H= * 
At the annual meeting of the Helena 
Improvement Society, Helena, Mont., 
the report of the treasurer showed a 
comfortable balance of $3,545. Mt. 
Helena Forest Park has been surveyed 
and fenced and the society is making 
an effort to have some additional land 
added to it. The society has been suc- 
cessful in transferring work which it 
has inaugurated and started to the pub- 
lic authorities, where it properly be- 
longs. The care of the school grounds 
has been turned over to the school 
board and the care of Sixth avenue to 
the State Board of Park Commission- 
ers. The report calls attention to the 
deplorable conditions surrounding the 
Union depot and urges its improvement. 
The society has secured from Mr. A. 
L. Smith a donation of twenty-nine 
acres for a public park. E. N. Bran- 
degee, J. S. M. Neill and Mrs. A. M. 
Holter were re-elected trustees of the 
society. 
^ ^ ^ 
A civic league has been formed at 
Owatonna, Minn., and plans are being 
made for beautifying that city. Two 
thousand packages of seeds will be 
distributed to school children and 
prizes are offered for the best flower 
garden and for the best lawn. A school 
children’s brigade will be organized to 
keep the streets free from papers and 
other rubbish. 
* * * 
The Village Improvement Society of 
Natick, Mass., has offered prizes for 
the best kept grounds cared for by the 
owner or occupant, and also a prize for 
the place showing the greatest improve- 
ment during the year. 
