Who are Indy Parks named after anyways?

Indy Parks names its parks with intention—each one tells a unique story. Many parks named after influential people honor those who have made a lasting impact on Indianapolis and its community. Among them are four parks named after famous writers whose work helped shape the city’s cultural identity.

Dan Wakefield Park

Dan Wakefield Park, was established in 1928 and is located at the intersection of 61st Street and Broadway Street in Broad Ripple.

The city originally named it ‘Broadway & 61st Street Park’ and renamed it in 2016 to honor Indianapolis native and author Dan Wakefield. While attending Shortridge High School—just a 10-minute drive from the park—Wakefield began his writing journey as a contributor to the school newspaper.

Best known for his nonfiction and writings on topics including spirituality and the Civil Rights Movement, Wakefield authored more than 48 books over the course of his career. Filmmakers adapted two of his most notable novels, Going All the Way and Starting Over, into films, with Wakefield writing the screenplay for Going All the Way.
He also created the story for the television show James at 15. Wakefield was widely admired for his generosity and storytelling. He lived by the quote from Philo: “Be kind, for everyone you know is fighting a great battle.”

After living and working in several states, Wakefield returned to Indianapolis permanently in 2011. He attended the 2016 dedication of the park named in his honor, an event attended by more than 100 people. Dan Wakefield passed away in 2024 at the age of 91, but his legacy continues to inspire Indianapolis and beyond.

Mari Evans Park

Mari Evans Park is a quaint neighborhood park located in the Mapleton-Fall Creek neighborhood.

It was named in honor of Mari Evans, an incredible author, activist, and poet, who was widely recognized as one of the founders of the Black Arts Movement. Born in Ohio in 1923, Evans initially pursued careers in fashion design and jazz before turning to writing. She moved to Indianapolis in 1947 and made it her permanent home.

Mari Evans served as a writer-in-residence at Indiana University, where she also taught a number of courses. She was a key figure in the university’s Black Student Union.

A passionate activist, Evans spoke out in causes including racial justice, prison reform, gender equality, and opposition to capital punishment. She used her voice to speak up for those who needed it most. Evans’s work often explored themes of racial and gender inequality. Some of her most notable contributions include the television documentary The Black Experience, the books J.D. and Singing Black, and her most well-known poem, I Am a Black Woman.

Mari Evans passed away in Indianapolis in 2017. Today, a 30-foot mural on Massachusetts Avenue honors her legacy. Her powerful writing and lasting impact continue to resonate in Indianapolis and around the world.

Hawthorn Park

Hawthorne Park is a park located on the near west side of Indianapolis and was established over 100 years ago in 1923.

The city named this park after 19th-century author Nathaniel Hawthorne, an influential American novelist and short story writer. His Puritan ancestry and his hometown of Salem, Massachusetts—a town infamous for its witch trials—inspired his writing, which centered on themes of sin, guilt, and moral conflict.

Hawthorne’s early works, like Twice-Told Tales, gained some attention, but you probably know him most from his more popular book, The Scarlet Letter.

Frederick Douglass Park

Frederick Douglass Park was established in 1921 in the Martindale-Brightwood community on East 25th Street.

They named the park in honor of Frederick Douglass, the prominent Black abolitionist. Martindale was a segregated African American community in the 19th century, and this park holds historical significance as one of the first in Indianapolis to welcome Black residents.

Frederick Douglass was born into slavery in Maryland in 1818. His enslaver’s wife taught him to read and write, defying laws that prohibited the education of enslaved people. Douglass continued to learn from white children in the area and eventually escaped slavery in 1838. As a free man, he became a powerful speaker, speaking at abolitionist meetings and giving speeches against slavery. In 1845, at the age of 27, he published his first autobiography Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, which became a bestseller and remains widely read today..

Douglass also began producing abolitionist newspapers, including The North Star, which held the motto: “Right is of no Sex – Truth is of no Color – God is the Father of us all, and we are all brethren.”

Frederick Douglass passed away in 1895. His legacy lives on through his writings and his profound impact on American history.