’ The centerpiece of the city’
By Sally Sexton
We definitely wouldn’ t be able to celebrate our 135th birthday this year without our original founder, John Thomas Leonard, back in 1890.
In examining our roots, however, we couldn’ t help but tell the story of Mr. Leonard’ s contributions, not just to us, but to helping Gainesville become what it is today.
Just a decade after founding the Register, Leonard became mayor of Gainesville, serving from 1901-1910.
During his second term in office, Leonard used the newspaper to campaign for a city park.
The proposal, which had been suggested in previous years but never brought to a successful realization, according to Register archives, was met with general approval of the citizens.
On Aug. 12, 1902, the council passed a resolution endorsing park movement and authorizing Leonard to appoint a committee to select a site.
The site, grandson Joe M. Leonard Jr. said, was 20 acres on the east side of Elm Creek, originally owned by the Painter family.
Members of the committee, which held their first meeting in September 1902, recommended purchase of the land, with an initial payment of $ 1,500, and other payments to be made over the next three years totaling $ 3,500.
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