The "Small Town Legacies" series of caches is dedicated to preserving the memories and legacies of the small towns of America. It is the hope of the series that the legacies and storied histories of the small towns that so many have called home, yet most people have never heard about before be shared and not be forgotten.
Allen, MI
The Park
The Allen Community Park began its development in 1972 when the village of Allen approached the DNR for a grant to build a park as none existed in the village at this point. After raising $1200 in order to receive the DNR money. The required money was raised with an additional $2000 in donations. The land began to be cleared in the summer of 1972, with work on the playground portion began in the summer of 1973. All of the labor was performed by volunteers within the community, including Karl Engelhardt, Charles Batt, and Wendall Kratzer. Bill Todd spearheaded much of the project giving up his vacation and most of his spare time to help complete the park.
The park was completed in time for the warm weather in 1974 with not only traditional children’s rides such as a slide and a Bunker Hill climber, but also included a regulation tennis court and a full-sized softball diamond. This park is governed by the Allen Park Committee, a group of volunteers who care for and maintain the park.
The Ball Diamond
In the days when Allen School was still in operation, it had much to boast about, its music teacher who would teach a student to play whatever instrument they desired or its cafeteria’s cookies. For its sports teams, the honored place was held by its baseball team. Winning many regional championships, it was easily considered to be one of the prides of the school.
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