Parks and Shelters

Click for a printable, detailed
map of Kesling Park



	Click for a printable map of Soldiers Memorial Park

Click for a printable map of
Fox Memorial Park

Additional Parks

City Park

City Park is considered LaPorte’s first park. A parcel of land, 9.4 acres on Lower Lake, was purchased in 1890. The original parcel contained a notable grove of white oaks, of which a few stands of this native timber still remains.
The park today is a popular site for family reunions and picnics. Facilities include picnic shelters, play ground, restrooms, ball diamond, volleyball courts and twelve lighted horseshoe pits.

Allesee Park

Allesee Park is a six acre neighborhood park on the south side of the city. It was developed adjacent to a housing subdivision to provide recreational facilities to the neighborhood. Facilities include a ball diamond, basketball half-court, volleyball, play ground, multi purpose fitness trail, shelter and a restroom. Allesee Park has suffered over the past few years due to vandalism, but thanks to a $43,000 donation to the Park Foundation in 2000 by the Allesee family, improvements were made.

Kiwanis-Teledyne Park

Kiwanis-Teledyne Park is a small park located on the eastern side of Pine Lake and located at the intersection of US Highway 35 and State Road 39. The two acre park was formed in 1965 as a training exercise by the National Guard while conducting a dredging operation on a lake channel. In 1981, a land donation of 2.5 acres doubled the size of the park. The local Kiwanis Club was responsible for the initial development of the park with a fireplace and picnic shelter.
In 1990, with the assistance of an Indiana Waters Grant, Kiwanis-Teledyne Park was renovated with new facilities including entrance drive, parking, restrooms, picnic shelter, walkway to the lake and floating piers.

Koomler Park

Koomler Park covers four acres in southern LaPorte. It was initially a play area developed by the federal government in the 1940’s for children of the workers at the Kingsbury Ordinance Plant. In 1962, this land was transferred to the city for exclusive use as a park.
Today, Koomler Park serves the residents of Maple Terrace and offers a ball diamond, basketball, volleyball, play ground and restroom facilities.

Rumley Park

Rumley Park is a four acre neighborhood park that was purchased and developed entirely with federal funds in 1980. It was actually a replacement park for the former Marquette Park which was located four blocks away. Marquette Park was a piece of donated land that was unsuitable and unbuildable for a park.
This neighborhood park offers basketball, tennis, play ground, picnic facilities, restrooms and fishing.

Ben Rees Park

Ben Rees Park is a 1.5 acre parcel that is half of a square block located near the Civic Auditorium. The park was the site of the Fourth Ward School in the early 1900’s. The school was demolished in the 1920’s and the property was donated to the city in the 1940’s. The park was named in honor of Ben C. Rees, a local attorney and school board member.
A new playground and gazebo shelter was installed this spring through the help of community volunteers and contributions. A walkway, drinking fountain, and basketball court are still in the planning for this neighborhood park.

Tot Lots

Warsaw Tot Lot

Warsaw Tot Lot is a small play ground of less than one acre in size. The triangular piece of land was donated to the city in 1946 and was developed in 1980 with funding from a federal grant. The fenced park offers open space and play equipment for the neighborhood children.

Monroe Tot Lot

Monroe Tot Lot is a small play ground, approximately one acre in size, that was offered to the Park Department in 1970 to be used as a tot lot. The park is located on the southern edge of LaPorte and serves the residents of Monroe Manor housing development. The partially fenced park contains play equipment and was developed with general park funds.

Fields

Clarke Field

Clarke Field is a two square block area of six acres that was a donation to the city in the late 1930’s. The park is generally surrounded with tall, mature fir evergreen trees that provide a buffer for the adjacent residential areas. The main recreational usage at Clarke Field are two ball diamonds. The shelter/restroom building is old, poor condition and in need of replacement. The park also contains volleyball, basketball half-court and a play ground.

Jaycee-Whirlpool Field

Jaycee-Whirlpool Field is the result of cooperation between the public and private sector. In 1975, the Whirlpool Corporation entered an agreement with the Park Department to lease the land, approximately six acres, for one dollar per year for use as a park. The park has been developed through a joint effort of the Whirlpool Corporation and the LaPorte Jaycees. Presently the park consists of two ball diamonds and a parking area. Future plans for the park may expand to a picnic area and play ground.

Scott Field

Scott Field was the result of another land donation of a developer. Originally, in the layout of Scott’s Second Addition, five acres in the middle of the new housing development was left as a neighborhood play area. The land was donated to School City of LaPorte in 1923. It wasn’t until 1952 that the Park Department entered a 99 year lease, for one dollar per year, with the school corporation. The park is in the planning stages to undergo major rework. The restroom/shelter
building has been removed. A neighborhood meeting was held with surrounding residents to determine the future of Scott Field as they would like to see it. The result is a planned renovation program of the park that will include a shelter, restroom, tot lot, play ground, ball diamond, open play, half-court basketball, and picnic facilities.