Leonard E. Stubbs Memorial Park

     Stubbs Park, which is maintained by the City of Centerville, is a large community park complete with amphitheater, Veteran's Memorial, trails, ponds, bridges, playgrounds, picnic areas and more.  There are also 54 garden plots for urban farmers to rent each season at a low cost.

     In 1974, the city passed an ordinance in anticipation of the purchase of 35.6 acres of land to be used for recreation and issued bonds for that purchase in 1975.  Initially called the Benjamin Archer Park, it was renamed the Leonard E. Stubbs Memorial Park in 1982 to honor Leonard Stubbs, a councilman and a high school teacher.  Mr. Stubbs, who died of cancer, was instrumental in the organization of the City Beautiful Commission.

    Tom Stolz, the architect of the present park, said of his involvement, "we were well on the way of completing Countryside Park.  In the spring of 1983, I happened to be going down W. Spring Valley Rd. just a little bit west of Route 48 and I noticed this area that had a playground and just a few trees that volunteers had planted and I drove in there, parked my car, and I walked around and I said to myself, this is a fabulous uncut gem.  I really think this would be something that maybe I could transplant our creativeness to this site, and continue our park building philosophy, and see what I could create here.  Well, once I had gotten that idea, I just couldn't get it out of me.  I got tacit approval of the council and we began.  It has such a unique topography, even more diverse and significantly larger than Countryside Park."

    


 

Tom began polishing his "uncut gem."  Using his crews from his business, Countryside Nursery, he planted trees, dug ponds, built ornamental bridges and hiking trails, athletic fields and parking areas.

The city contributed occasional crews with dump trucks and some grant money and city money, but most of the work and cost was done through the efforts of Tom Stolz. 

The land has been significantly manipulated yet maintains its natural quality.

 

 

 

 

Tom designed and built the thirty-four bridges in Stubbs Park.  No two are alike.

 

     The Monkey House, at the entrance to the park, was built about 1925 by Edwin Earl Miller.  He owned Maplvale, a general store at the northeast corner of Whipp Road and Far Hills and decided to use the house to keep several monkeys to attract attention to his store.  It was an idea he saw on a trip to Florida.  The hexagonal building became a landmark to all who passed by, and Miller became known as "Monkey" Miller.  Eventually the Monkey House was moved across the street on land owned by Miller.  In 1938, an African-American named Noah Johnson was hired to work at Maplvale and stayed for 39 years.  "Noy," as people called him, fixed up the second floor of the Monkey House with a kitchen and bath and lived there.  When Far Hills was widened in 1961, the Monkey House was moved 200 feet back from the road.  At Miller's death in 1985, the Monkey House was slated to be razed to make way for commercial development.  Many who remembered the Monkey House raised money to have the house moved and Mrs. Miller donated the house.  It was cut in thirds on April 18 and moved on April 19, 1984.   Tom Stolz oversaw the renovation.
 

While Tom Stolz was developing the park, the veterans in the community asked him to build a memorial within the park.  He did, and each November 11, on Veterans' Day, a ceremony was held at the memorial to honor the veterans.  Over the years, the ceremony grew and the memorial no longer accommodated the crowds.  There was limited parking, the hilly grounds were often wet, and the trees had grown so large the flag couldn't be raised.

In 2002, the city council started the process to build a new memorial.  A seventeen-member committee was formed that included veterans, people from the city and township, and other interested people.  The city and township each contributed $50,000 to get the project started and the fund raising began for the remaining funds needed.  As of 2007, the first phase is complete enough to hold the ceremonies but the memorial is still being developed.  The committee will accept any and all donations and the memorial bricks are still available for purchase for the walkway.  Call 433-7151 for more information.

 


Veterans' Memorial

Tom designed and built the picnic table under the octagonal shelter at the front of the park.  He used more than a ton of lumber bolted together in the shape of a cross to create the one-piece table, which includes benches.  It seats forty-four people.  He said when they built the A-frame shelter at Countryside Park they placed eight tables in the middle of it and they would gradually migrate out into the grassy areas with picnickers.  He wanted to build a picnic table that was immovable. 

These Daisy's, gathered around the table, are participating in their fly-up ceremony to become Brownies.


               
                              

It took six years of moving over 8800 truckloads of soil from six areas within the park to form the contours of the amphitheater. Tom Stolz designed and built the picturesque band shell with excellent acoustics on a shoestring budget without looking like it, he said.  The band shell is a parabolic shape with wooden beams and panels.  The stage is half circle, 48 feet wide and 30 feet deep and includes dressing rooms. The dedication of the new Centerville Community Amphitheater was July 7, 1991. 

            

"The amphitheater is the result of careful integration of man's art
with the surrounding natural art."
The Centerville Arts Commission approached Jack Mann, an artist and professor of art at Wittenberg University in Springfield with the idea of designing a sculpture representing the performing arts.  This hands-on sculpture is a steel stage with windows, doors, chairs, a cello, a dancer, and animals.  The sculpture, which measures 8-by-20 feet, was installed in 1998.


Sunderland Springhouse

     In 1984, as Janet Thobaben, trustee emeritus of the historical society, and her husband, Bob were heading for the airport and a winter vacation in Florida, they passed the field on the northeast corner of Far Hills Ave. and Alex-Bell Rd., soon to be the Cross Pointe Shopping Center. Janet noticed a bulldozer poised and ready to take down the historic Sunderland springhouse. The Thobabens quickly pulled over and Janet hopped out of the car, ran through the mud in her heels, and stopped the demolition in the nick of time. Since she would be out of town, she called Martha Boice and asked her to carry on.
     Martha contacted Darryl Kenning, manager of the City of Centerville and the Linclay Corporation of Cincinnati, the construction firm hired to build the shopping center. What resulted was a true coordination of efforts from three entities. The city found a spot for the springhouse at Stubbs Park and spent $2000 on wood for reconstruction of the roof and the door. Linclay, very interested in being a good steward for the community, researched the requirements to move the stone building properly and spent $10,000 getting the project done. They also organized a dedication ceremony and reception at the new location.
     The springhouse, built in 1800 over a spring on Peter Sunderland’s property, was part of a stockade which was built to protect the few families that were living here from rumored Indian attacks. It now sits near a playground at Stubbs Park for the kids to use as a playhouse and to see up close what structures looked like in days past.

There are many playgrounds, both old style and new, for children to play on.  A small picturesque stream runs throughout the park which also gives children a place to play and get their shoes wet and their clothes muddy.