Ramsey County History – Spring 1971: “Social Calls without a Bonnet! Park Residents Set Their Own Rules”

Social Calls without a Bonnet! Park Residents Set Their Own Rules
Author: Dorothy Hozza

A history of the development of Irvine Park, starting in 1849. Many prominent citizens lived on or near it, including Alexander Ramsey, Henry Moss, Abram Elfelt, Horace Bigelow, Joseph Forepaugh, William Spencer, Henry Carver, Frederick Driscoll, Harry Horn, and Nathaniel Langford. The park and neighborhood reached their early peak in the 1870s. “The families who lived there made their own laws, socially speaking, and established their own social customs.” The park’s decline began early in the twentieth century. “Today Irvine Park is threatened by encroaching industry, demolition for urban renewal, and neglect.”
PDF of Hozza article