Madison Park and Pleasure Drive Ass. - MPPDA

Presidents:

John Olin – 1894–1909

J.C. Schubert – 1910–1911

Ernest Warner – 1912–1929~

Vice Presidents:

John Hess – 1894–1895

Frank S. Warren – 1896–1898

A.R. Kentzler Jr. – 1899–1900

Andrew S. Brown – 1901–1911

Charles N. Brown – 1912–1925

Frank W. Cantwell – 1926–1929~

Secretary:

Charles N. Brown – 1894–1911

E.J.B. Schubring – 1912

Eugene C. Smith – 1913–1915

John L. Bourke – 1916–1929~

Treasurer:

Frank W. Hoyt – 1894–1932

Thomas Brittingham
George Burrows
Burr Jones
John Nolen
Michael Olbrich
Edward Owen
Halle Steensland
Daniel Tenney
William Vilas

The Madison parks system got its start in 1888 when George Raymer built a pleasure drive along Lake Mendota from UW-Madison to Eagle Heights. In 1892 Edward T. Owen built a parkway connecting Raymer Road with the area that is now Hoyt Park. The drive opened in October 1892. Owen got help on the project from John Olin, and Edward Hammersley. At first, they called their group the Lake Mendota Pleasure Drive Association, but on July 10, 1894, it was reorganized as the Madison Park and Pleasure Drive Association. The original goal of the MPPDA was to open, extend and improve rustic roadways through picturesque scenery in Madison. Later the group began creating parks. In 1897 the MPPDA started building Farwell Drive from Sherman Avenue north to Governor's Island. More