Walton Park

About Us:

Walton  Park, located on South State Street, is an 11 acre park with a 40 acre lake and is open every year from April 1st to October 31st.  The park has four pavilions with barbeque grills available for rental during this time period, open picnic areas, a lighted softball diamond, a basketball court, horseshoe pits, disc golf, volleyball, rest rooms, and playground equipment.  Fishing is allowed but swimming is not.   Canoes, row boats or boats with trolling motors are the only water craft allowed on the lake.  For the rental of a pavilion for your function, call (217) 324-9075 anytime from March 1st until October 31st.

The park and lake date back to around 1856, when the lake was used as the city's main water supply and supplied 40,000 tons of ice a season to the surrounding area.  It has also been the sight for the first local Chautauqua, held in 1905, which featured William Jennings Bryan and Billy Sunday.