The Finney County Museum celebrate the 100th anniversary of Garden City’s Finnup Park in a special final spring Brown Bag Lunch program on Wednesday.
The program, “A Legacy of Generosity, The Finnup Family’s Lasting Contributions to Garden City and Finney County,” marks the exact day the land for the park was donated and will recall the community-wide celebration that took place in honor of the family that made the park possible. According to a press release from the museum, the Finnup family helped early-day Garden City succeed and grow, and their support continues today through the foundation, which has awarded more than $25 million in grants.
Frederick Finnup was a German immigrant who moved to Garden City in 1879 after being recruited to settle by community co-founder C.J. “Buffalo” Jones, Finney County’s historical archives show. With his wife, Wilhelmina, Finnup bought the first two lots on Main Street, erected six buildings and became a leading entrepreneur.
Their son, George, and his wife, Alta, helped save Garden City from bankruptcy after the panic of 1893 and invested in and supported the community in a number of ways, including deeding 111 acres on May 8, 1919, in honor of his father to create Finnup Park, now home to the museum, Garden City’s Big Pool and Lee Richardson Zoo.
(Read more: Augusta Gazette)