James Baird State Park

James Baird State Park

The golf course and clubhouse at James Baird State Park

Location of James Baird State Park within New York State

Type State park
Location 14 Maintenance Lane
Pleasant Valley, New York[1]
Coordinates 41°41′09″N 73°47′51″W / 41.68583°N 73.79750°W / 41.68583; -73.79750Coordinates: 41°41′09″N 73°47′51″W / 41.68583°N 73.79750°W / 41.68583; -73.79750
Area 590 acres (2.4 km2)[2]
Created 1939 (1939)[1]
Operated by New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
Visitors 103,618 (in 2014)[3]
Open All year
Website James Baird State Park

James Baird State Park is a 590-acre (2.4 km2) state park in Dutchess County, New York, United States.[2] The park is located in the northern part of the Town of LaGrange, east of City of Poughkeepsie.

History

The park is named after James Baird, the donor of the land. Baird, who held a Ph.D. in Engineering, formed the construction company that erected the Lincoln Memorial and the Folger Shakespeare Library. He donated his land to the state in 1939 for a park.[1]

The park formerly included a large community swimming pool, which was filled in by park management in the 1980s. Today, the bathhouse and concession buildings still stand, locked up and unused. The former pool area is bounded by rows of large elm trees.

Description

James Baird State Park offers picnic tables with pavilions, a playground, recreation programs, hiking and biking, a nature trail, cross-country skiing, and a food concession. A sports complex that offers softball, volleyball, basketball, and tennis is also included in the park, in addition to the 18-hole James Baird State Park Golf Course.[1][4]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "James Baird State Park". NYS Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
  2. 1 2 "Section O: Environmental Conservation and Recreation, Table O-9". 2014 New York State Statistical Yearbook (PDF). The Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government. 2014. pp. 671–674. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
  3. ↑ "State Park Annual Attendance Figures by Facility: Beginning 2003". Data.ny.gov. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
  4. ↑ "James Baird State Park Golf Course". NYS Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
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