Come out to enjoy the elevated park! Free and family-friendly!
Construction started on the St. Thomas Elevated Park in 2017 and on Sept 14, 2019, the public opening of the unique project was celebrated. Changes and improvements have continued since then and this wonderful park is a terrific place for everyone to enjoy.
Watch the Facebook page for more details about the park and special events.
WHERE
Enter at the intersection of King and Centre streets, St. Thomas, Ontario. MAP
The actual address is 1 Centre Street, just half a block south of Jumbo Memorial. His trunk ‘points’ to the side street it’s on. Park on the street or in the parking lot across from the park. Walk down the side street going South and it’s not far. Closes at dusk and entrance is free. www.elevatedpark.ca
WHAT YOU’LL SEE
Beautiful views of the Kettle Creek Valley, Artwork, Walking trail, Musical installations, and more.
The first 210 feet of the bridge is totally surfaced in a wooden deck. The remaining 600 feet has a continuous 10-foot wide concrete sidewalk. The entire surface is fully accessible for all mobility needs.
You’ll also see pieces of public art such as The Faraway Nearby, installed by St. Thomas born artist Christine Dewancker.
ARCHITECTURE
Year built: 1930
The 89-year-old Michigan Central Railway bridge tells a great story about St. Thomas’s railway heritage. The bridge was built in 1929 as a 260-meter-long railway trestle to carry the Michigan Central Railroad 34 meters above the Kettle Creek Valley on the west side of Canada’s Railway Town.
The last train rolled across the double-tracked bridge in 1996 and it then sat idle for 17 years while demolition firms sent proposals to its owner to have it dismantled. But it now has new life as a community resource, thanks to many sponsors, donors, workers, and volunteers!
MORE INFORMATION about the community investment and development that created ‘A Park in the Sky’
About The Author: Armstrong
As an author and editor, Linda directs her lifelong love of nature and plants to concerns about our environment and how we can do better. In addition to decades of gardening experience, and training as a master gardener, Linda focuses on learning from leading science-based educators and writers, and in the process finds that she uncovers many gardening myths.
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