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Park history · Sherwood files

Reading Seattle’s parks through the Sherwood History Files.

An resource guide to the park sketches, facility histories, and preservation work associated with a major record of Seattle’s public landscapes.

Mature evergreen forest forming a quiet public landscape
Parks are recorded not only as places, but as changing civic landscapes.

Collection overview

The record behind the park histories

The Sherwood History Files preserve a broad working record of Seattle parks, viewpoints, playgrounds, community facilities, trails, and waterfront places.

Historical reference · park documentation

A working resource of maps, notes, and place histories

Donald N. Sherwood worked as a Parks engineer from 1955 to 1977. Alongside designing buildings and preparing brochures, he developed sketch maps annotated with historical details. When a map could not contain the available information, he prepared a separate history for the facility.

In the early 1970s, Sherwood urged the department to sort and preserve older records that were at risk of being discarded as staff retired. He was assigned responsibility for that work in 1972 and continued collecting and writing about Seattle parks after leaving city employment.

The collection later received additional material from Parks employees. Original histories and drawings made after Sherwood’s city service were donated to the Museum of History and Industry after his death in 1981.

Collection timeline

A record built over decades

1955–1977

Engineering and park documentation

Sherwood’s work combined facility design, public information, sketch mapping, and research into individual park histories.

1972

Preservation becomes an assigned task

Department records were organized for preservation after concerns arose about the loss of older files.

After 1977

Research continues beyond city service

Sherwood continued his park-history research and writing after his Parks position ended.

1981 and after

Material enters wider historical collections

Original post-employment histories and drawings were donated to a local history institution, while the directory grew with later additions.

Green public meadow bordered by trees and distant hills
A park history can connect design, memory, land, and public use.

resource index

Selected files by starting letter

The original directory spans viewpoints, parks, playgrounds, pools, trails, community centers, boulevards, and waterfront facilities.

G · Gas Works Park

A record of one of Seattle’s distinctive transformed public places.

Open history file →

V · Volunteer Park

A historical reference for a central Seattle park and cultural landscape.

Open history file →

Complete directory

Park history files, A–Y

Use the preserved alphabetical listing to continue into the wider collection. Each link retains the source filename and document format.

Reader’s desk

Questions about the files

Context for using an older directory as historical evidence.

What are the Sherwood History Files?

They are a collection of park sketches, maps, facility histories, and related research documenting Seattle’s public landscapes.

Why are the documents listed as PDFs?

The directory preserves the original links to scanned or formatted history files. A compatible PDF reader may be required.

Are these current park guides?

No. They are historical reference documents. Conditions, names, access, and services may have changed since the material was prepared.

Why does the index include more than parks?

The collection records the wider park system, including playgrounds, viewpoints, boulevards, trails, pools, community centers, and waterfront facilities.

Where can I find broader resource material?

The main collection is organized through the preserved park-history directory. Seattle Chronicle provides context and links without replacing the original documents.

resource desk

Find a related civic record

Search the wider collection for a park, neighborhood, service, document type, or public topic.